


Nuclear Snakes

by Anonymous



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Extended Families, F/M, Kinda dumb but i worked hard on it, Konoha - Freeform, M/M, Mitsuki is a goodmatchmaker, Multichapter, No one's writing enough Kabuto and Mitsuki interaction so I guess I'll do it myself, Nuclear families, Oc's play a small role, Otogakure - Freeform, Slow Build, Snake fam, Third Person POV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-07-12 16:50:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15999368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: In which a small head injury during a mission changes Mitsuki's life for the better. He certainly never expected to find a home in the old Orphanage and the bespectacled man who ran it. He certainly never expected his deadly hands, genetically designed to kill, to be used for the healing arts. And he most certainly never expected to unintentionally reunite two criminals who found themselves missing each other after decades apart....(Set in Boruto timeline; references to Boruto anime)-First Naruto fanfic ever, so please be patient with me.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah, I noticed that the Orochimaru/Kabuto tag is kind of dying and had an idea for a fic ( I acutally really love this ship lmao)  
> I just really want Kabuto back in the anime so this fic is an outlet for me. The first chapter actually focuses on Sarada more than Mitsuki, but mostly because I wanted her to come to terms with seeing the Shin clones again :)  
> Comment and Kudos are much appreciated!!

“He’s late.” Dark eyes narrowed slightly in irritation.

A chuckle resonated from the young girl’s teammate next to her. “Are you surprised?”

“No, not really. He’s been doing relatively well coming on time these past few weeks- I was thinking he would try and keep a streak going.”  
Sarada Uchiha let out an exasperated sigh as her lips curled, forming a pout.

The young Uchiha and young Oto transferee-Mitsuki-continued to wait for their boisterous third teammate in relative silence. It was early morning and most of the villagers of Konoha were starting to rise and get on with their daily routines. 

Sarada glanced at her surroundings, looking for signs of their third teammate with no luck. She glanced discretely towards her pale waiting companion. His usual friendly-yet strange-smile plastered his face; he hadn’t said much the past few minutes. 

Knowing Mitsuki wouldn’t try to openly engage in conversation, Sarada attempted to break the awkward silence. 

“The leaves look so beautiful around this time of the year,” she stated in awe. It was Autumn and the green leaves for which their village was named were falling and turning lovely shades of red and orange. Sarada stepped on a small pile, enjoying the crunch beneath her sandals. 

A pale hand caught a falling yellow leaf and stared inquisitively at the object. 

“You think so?” 

He allowed the leaf to blow away as a breeze swept by. Yellow eyes closed as he smiled once more at the young Uchiha. Sarada smiled back somewhat hesitantly, but nothing else was exchanged. Typical.

Their ‘conversation’ had been cut short by the loud voice of their third teammate. 

“Yo, Sarada! Mitsuki!” Boruto Uzumaki called out. Usually, the son of the acclaimed Seventh Hokage had more energy and charisma. However, this didn’t appear to be one of those times. 

“You’re late,” Sarada stated with annoyance. 

“Why do you look so tired?” 

True enough to Mitsuki’s observations, Boruto looked absolutely dead on his feet. He looked groggy and his actions seemed more sluggish than usual. The blonde yawned tiredly before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

While his outward appearance was nothing short of exhausted, the young Uzumaki’s response came out as excited and loud as usual. 

“You guys haven’t heard? Kagemasa’s getting back into acting now that he’s losing more weight! There’s talks of a new movie and game coming out for him next year!” Blue eyes gleamed with glee despite how tired they looked. 

“‘Kagemasa’...you mean the main character in that popular hero franchise, correct?”

“Yeah! We should go see the movie when it comes out!”

Sarada stuck up her nose. “The stuff’s kiddish, Boruto. You know that, right? And that still doesn’t explain why you look so exhausted.”

“Quiet Sarada! You like Kagemasa, too, don’t try to deny it!” 

The young Uchiha’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. So what if she’s seen all of Kagemasa’s films? Just because she had _seen_ all of Kagemasa’s films certainly didn’t mean she _enjoyed_ them! She just wanted to be able to understand what her peers were talking about- that’s all it was!

“And I was getting to that before you so _rudely_ interrupted. In preparation for the new movie next year, they launched a short manga series about Kagemasa’s upbringing and his family! I got part I yesterday and spent the whole night reading it!” 

“That does seem like you, doesn’t it?”

“Aw, c’mon Mitsuki, not you too! I already got chewed out enough by my mom this morning!” 

“As it should be,” Sarada huffed, “You couldn’t have at least waited until the weekend to read your comic? We have a mission today!”

“It’ll be fine, Sarada! Don’t worry so much! We’ll do just as great as always, ya know?”

“Always so carefree, aren’t you Boruto?” Mitsuki enjoyed the happy nature of his sun, but sometimes it seemed so strange to him. 

Sarada simply sighed, knowing she would just exert unnecessary energy trying to argue with the blonde. 

“What’s our mission today, anyways?”

“Not sure. Konohamaru-Sensei didn’t give any explicit details on what it would be.”

“Hopefully it’s not another D-rank mission! I’m tired of having to chase after people’s missing pets. It gets so boring, ya know?”

“Actually,” the voice of their Sensei interrupted suddenly, “you’re not going to be chasing after missing pets, today.” 

The brunette Sarutobi appeared in a puff of smoke in front of his young squad. 

“Konohamaru-Sensei!”

“Konohamaru-niichan!”

“Jeez, how many times do I have to tell you, Boruto? It’s _Sensei_! On missions, I’m your _Sensei_!” 

Boruto ignored his Sensei/older brother’s complaints and pressed for more information on the details of their mission. It’s been a while since he’s seen some decent action.

“What’s our mission? Stopping bandits? Delivering priceless artifacts? Protecting beautiful actresses? C’mon what is it!”

Konohamaru sighed at the young blonde’s antics before giving a wide smile at his genin team. “Close! It’s even more exciting!” 

“Yeah, Yeah! _What?_ ” 

The brunette’s wide smile slipped into a smirk, “You three are going to help clean today!”

Boruto’s excitement vanished in an instant. “Cleaning? That’s the opposite of exciting! Can’t we just get another mission catching some rich lady’s cat?” 

The more sensible Uchiha sighed. “Hush, Boruto. We can’t just get A and B-ranked missions right out of the box. We’re still a relatively new Shinobi team-it’ll take some time. For now, we have to content ourselves with chasing pets, or in this case, cleaning.” 

_“Even if it IS boring,”_ inner Sarada seemed to want to say. 

“Where and what are we cleaning, Sensei?” Mitsuki asked, unperturbed by the less-than-boring mission they had received. 

“Good question! One of the directors of Konoha’s Orphanage has requested for a ninja team to come and help tidy things up a bit- organize shelves, rake leaves, etc.” 

“Ugh, I hate cleaning. I can’t even help clean my own house,” Boruto whined. 

“A mission’s a mission, Boruto. You’re just going to have to suck it up,” Sarada replied. The blonde huffed before shrugging his shoulders defeat. 

“Now,” Konohamaru began, “the Orphanage is located on the outskirts of Konoha-around the more rural districts- so it’ll take around 5-10 minutes to get there. As Sarada said before, this is still a mission-no matter how ‘dull’ you may think it is-so I expect you all to do your best!”

“Hai, Sensei!”

“Hai…” 

“Alright then, let’s get going.”

The young ninja team darted off, following after their Sensei, towards the direction of the Konoha Orphanage.  
…  
When the team arrived, they were shocked to see a large group of nearly identical children with pale skin and Sharingan eyes gathered around the front of the building. They gathered in a circle and seemed to be listening intently to the robed, black-haired man in the center. 

Sarada became frightened despite herself and unconsciously moved into a fighting stance. Her fists clenched I’m disturbed memory. Those were the cloned children of Shin Uchiha- him and his children had tried to kill Sarada, her parents, Lord Seventh, and even Chocho! 

_“Are they plotting something here?”_

“Sarada?” Mitsuki stated in worry, noting her stance. 

At that moment, the black-haired man noticed the team. He gave gave a quick gesture to Konohamaru, letting him know that he would need one more minute. He turned his attention back towards the Shin clones. 

“All right, so you all know your cleaning assignments. I requested for some help from a ninja team-hopefully they’ll help make the work go by a lot faster. And try to not make so much noise, ok?” he said with a grin, “He deserves some time to rest after these past couple of weeks.”

“Hai,” came the synchronized response of all the Shin clones. Flashes of white darted away from the building, most likely to do what the man had asked. 

The man then turned his full attention to Konohamaru and his team. With a friendly wave, he ushered them over. 

Sarada dropped her previous stance but remained alert and glanced at her surroundings. The old building seemed to have a homely feel to it, and groups of younger toddlers giggled as they played around the yard. She turned her attention back towards the man as he addressed them. 

“Hello! You must be the ninja we requested! I’m quite glad to see you-there’s a lot to get done.”

“Hai, my name is Konohamaru. This is my Genin squad-Sarada, Boruto, and Mitsuki,” Konohamaru gestured to the three as they were being introduced, “We’re happy to help in anyway we can.”

“Thank you, that’s great to hear. My name is Urushi, and I’m one of the directors of this orphanage.” 

“...And where is your other director?” Konohamaru asked apprehensively. The three gave their Sensei a look with his change in voice. 

Urushi gave a knowing look, understanding the reason for Konohamaru’s unsure tone. He responded with a small smile etched on his face. “He’s actually resting inside. There’s been a rising adoption rate this past year! It’s wonderful on our end, but there is a lot of paperwork required, as you can imagine. Flu season also seems to be coming early on top of things, so there’s much to do.”

“I’m sure,” Konohamaru replied, relaxing slightly. The brunette shook his head and loosened up a bit more. “Right! So the mission?” 

“Oh, yes of course! Onto your tasks! Right now, one of our biggest concerns is clearing out the gutters. Now that it’s Autumn, many of the leaves in the surrounding trees end up falling and gathering there. The water and combined leaves ends up putting a strain on the metal holding up the gutters and they can end up falling.”

“Got it, so you want us to just clear out the gunk from the gutters, Urushi-san?” Boruto asked with his hands behind his head. 

“That’s right! We’re having our older children from the orphanage help tidy up, as well. For now, I’ll just have your Genin clear out all of the gutters from each of the houses. I’ll go get you some gloves and a few bags to place the leaves in,” Urushi said as he moved to go fetch the cleaning tools.

“Got that?” Konohamaru asked, turning towards his team. 

“Hai,” all three stated. 

“Do your job well, you three. Remember, you represent Team 7, as well as your fellow Shinobi, on missions. Make me proud!” Konohamaru said with a grin, secretly ecstatic over the fact that he didn’t have to assist in cleaning the filthy gutters. He was so glad his Genin days were long behind him. 

“Here’s the equipment you’ll need,” Urushi stated as he returned with three large garbage bags and a pack filled with latex gloves, “there should be a ladder on the side of the main house that you can use in case you need it. I’m going to be supervising how the other children are getting along with their tasks, so I’ll stay in the area in the event that you need me.”

“Alright! Let’s get started then,” Boruto said before yawning, “Once this mission’s over, I’m going to take a looong nap.”

“Are you not going to finish your comic?” Mitsuki asked, walking alongside the blonde as per usual. “Well…” 

Sarada slowed down her steps when she saw a Shin clone dart quickly into a tiny shed through her peripheral vision. Her eyes remained fixed on the she, and she heard the conversation of her teammates drone out and get further and further away.

“Sarada? You coming?” Boruto asked when he noticed the young Uchiha was no longer walking with them. The two turned around to question their teammate. Guess it wasn’t just Konohamaru-Sensei that was acting off today. 

“Is something wrong?” The snake Shinobi asked. 

“No,” Sarada replied, “I just need to ask Urushi-San about something really quick. Uh, go ahead without me!”

Boruto was about to question her when she gave him a look. The blonde shrugged his shoulders and responded. 

“Ok, then.”  
…  
Sarada found Urushi-san watching over a small group consisting of a young blonde girl and orange-haired boy. With them were three Shin children holding rakes. 

The young boy and girl were happily jumping into the leaf piles that the Shin children were busy making. One of them seemed a bit irritated that his pile kept getting messed up. It was almost comical. 

“Yay! Keep making mo’, Aka-nii!” The blonde girl giggled animatedly as she threw crunchy orange-brown leaves into the air. She smiled widely, showing off her missing front teeth. 

The Shin clone Aka responded quietly with a stern tone that seemed practiced. His face was a bit more round compared to his two other brothers, who didn’t seem as annoyed by the ruined leaf piles. “I just made that pile, Hinode-chan.”

The young girl Hinode looked around at the mess of leaves she created and gave a small pout. “Aw, I’m sowee Aka-nii! I’ll help clean!” she said, using her chubby toddler arms to pick up leaves and reorganize them into a messy pile. 

Another Shin clone stepped forward to give the girl a light pat on the head. “Don’t worry about it, Hino-chan. Me, Aka, and Yoru-nii will clear it all up!” 

“I can help, Hisui-nii!” she huffed in response, “C’mon! ‘Wushi says I’m too young to hold the rake, but I’m a big girl now. I lost another baby tooth!”

The Shin cloned grasped his chin and feigned consideration. The girl really was a bit too young. Besides, she should enjoy not having to do chores while she still has the chance. 

“I don’t know, Hino-chan…”

“Pwease! I can help!”

“Oh, you can, can you?” Hisui said as he picked up the young girl and began to lightly throw her into the air. She began to giggle loudly. This Shin clone had a more angular face and had grown his hair out a bit longer. He seemed to be more outgoing and happy than the first brother.

“Yoru-nii, faster! Faster!” 

Sarada’s attention turned towards the young orange-haired boy who was currently riding on the back of the third Shin clone, Yoru. The fact that the clones made good older brother figures surprised the young Uchiha girl. 

Maybe, they’re not as bad as she had originally thought. 

“Hold on tight, ok?” Yoru called out as he quickly dashed through a tall pile of leaves. 

“Wheee! You went so fast, Yoru-nii!” 

“Yoru!” Aka called out in exasperation, “if you keep doing that, we’ll never get done!”

“I wanna go afte’ Muwa! Me next, me next!” Hinode giggled as Hisui put her back on the ground.

“Relax, Aka! We can take a short break, can’t we?” Yoru said as he picked up the younger girl. He held her arms as he spun her in a circle, her legs dangling in midair as she giggled with delight. 

Aka shifted a bit and puffed out his chubby cheeks. “We should just try to get done now so Father can relax and not have to worry about cleaning.”

At this the other two Shin clones Hisui and Yoru looked at each other in thought for a few moments. They both seemed to stop thinking at the same time and nodded at each other, perfectly in sync. 

“You’re right, sorry. We’ll get back to work.”

“Let’s get finished.”

Aka crouched down to the younger boy and girl. “Mura, Hinode? We’re going to try to finish raking this area, ok? We want to make it super neat so Father is happy, so can you please not jump into any more leaf piles?” 

The boy and girl looked at their feet and gave a quiet affirmation. “Ok, Aka-nii…”

Aka gave a smile and set his rake down to pat both of them on the head. “Once we’re done, we can take a break and play with you some more, ok?”

“‘K!” They said happily as they rushed off to go play somewhere else. 

The sight warmed Sarada’s heart and made her nearly forget why she wanted to go speak to Urushi. She wanted his assurance that it was really alright for the Shin clones to run around freely, especially in the presence of other children. But from what she had seen, her doubts were unnecessary. It seemed that in this caring and open environment, they were all free to develop their own personalities and grew to care about the others in this place. 

“Sarada, was it?” Urushi questioned as he finally noticed her presence, “Did you need something?”

The young Uchiha gave a smile and shook her head. She started to feel her cheeks start to heat up. “N-no! Sorry, I just...got a bit lost?” 

Urushi-San smiled at her. “Do you know the way back then?”

“Hai! Hai, I do. Thank you.” Sarada gave a small bow before heading back to her teammates. She stole a quick glance back towards where Aka, Hisui, and Yoru were diligently raking leaves back into piles, and a smile crossed her features.  
…  
“Ugh, this is so nasty! All these leaves are moist and squishy!”

“Keep going, Boruto! Every Shinobi has to go through this in their lifetime,” Konohamaru called out. Their teacher was happily content on the ground watching Boruto and Mitsuki clean the gutters from the roof. 

“Ugggh,” Boruto whined as he continued placing sloppy handfuls of brown leaves into their garbage bags, “Don’t you think this is nasty, Mitsuki?”

The pale boy looked up from his work as his name was called. “A mission is a mission. I don’t really care too much. It was nice that they gave us gloves, though.”

“I guess…”

“Hey! Sorry I’m a bit late!” Sarada stated as she climbed up the ladder to make her way onto the roof. 

“Sarada! Where were you?” 

“Oh, I was just...asking Urushi-San about the history of this orphanage.” The Uchiha kept her head bowed, hiding her eyes. She didn’t feel very in the mood for an interrogation today. 

Boruto’s eyes narrowed a bit in suspicion. She was obviously lying, but he couldn’t care less as his mind was purely focused on the moist, slushy sounds that came from his hands reaching into the gutters to pull out more wet leaves. 

“Uh, ok, I guess. Just grab some gloves and help us do this then.”

“Yeah, I got it,” Sarada replied as she put on a pair of gloves.

Their talks died down a bit after that as the three worked to clean out the leaves. Occasionally Konohamaru would call out to tell them that they were doing great and Boruto would let out a yawn, but that was as far as it went. However, all three began to get bored with their easy yet tedious task-Boruto was even caught lolling his head back and forth only to flinch back up in fatigue.Surprisingly, it was Mitsuki that started a new conversation.

“So what happened in your comic, Boruto?”

The blonde perked up as he was presented the chance to talk about one of his favorite hero icons. 

He responded happily with a renewed sense of energy, “Ooh! It was soo cool! It went over Kagemasa’s childhood and how he went onto become a hero! He was kidnapped as a baby and a gang of strong Shinobi found him and took him in, teaching him the basics of Shinobi rules and training him! Oh, his Shinobi family was so amazing! They’re all so chill but focused at the same time and don’t bend down to follow anyone’s rules!”

“That makes them vigilantes, doesn’t it?” Mitsuki asked. 

Boruto thought for a bit. “Eh, I guess…? But that’s not important! What’s important is how Kagemasa grew up! I wish I could have a cool, dynamic family like that! It’d be so interesting, ya know?”

Sarada sighed at the blonde. “You’re the son of the Seventh Hokage and princess of the Hyuuga clan. You would think that your family’s exciting enough.”

“I mean, yeah, but they’re super domestic! Kagemasa’s family was dynamic and they were always on the run from the evil government, chasing down bad guys and helping people! It’s kind of like your dad, Sarada! But I don’t think he’s running from the government, otherwise he’d probably run into issues with my old man...”

“Papa comes home every now and again, and him and mama get pretty domestic, too. They’re both strong Shinobi-of course they would want to find relaxation and comfort in their home.”

“Yeeaaah, but that gets so boring sometimes!”

“The interactions between a Shinobi at home are just as detrimental to his growth and upbringing as a Shinobi with their teammates, Boruto, even if they are domestic.”

“I got it, I got it! I’m just saying my family’s as nuclear as it gets, ya know?”

 _“Nuclear?”_ Mitsuki questioned curiously, “Your families don’t have radiation poisoning.”

Boruto laughed at his friend’s response. “No, not like _bomb_ nuclear- _Nuclear_.”

The snake Shinobi tilted his head curiously. “What does that mean?”

Sarada explained to her teammate, “A nuclear family is basically just the typical social unit-you know, like with a mom, dad, and their kids.” 

“Yeah, me and Sarada, for the most part, both have nuclear families.”

Mitsuki pondered to himself. Nuclear. A typical family unit. His mind flashed to an image of his parent and older brother, along with his aunt and uncles.The snake Shinobi wondered. He even found himself asking aloud what type of family he had. 

Boruto and Sarada paused in their work to look at each other. They didn’t think Mitsuki would be interested in socially constructed concepts like that. Guess you can never really tell with him. The more reserved boy looked like he genuinely wanted to know. 

“...Well, why don’t you start by describing your family’s makeup?” Sarada started helpfully. 

“Hmmm,” Mitsuki began, not wanting to give away too much information on his parent and life back in Oto, “I have my parent, close friends I suppose you could call my aunt and uncles, and then an older brother.”

“You have a brother?” Boruto asked in shock.

“Hai. He’s around 20.”

“That’s so cool! Kagemasa has an older sibling around that age, too!”

“Do you...have another parent?” Sarada asked apprehensively. Mitsuki was looking at her very intently, wanting more information. 

The snake Shinobi shook his head. “No, it’s always just been my parent. They keep to themself for the most part. My aunt and uncles more or less work for them, and my brother is old enough to be independent and away from home.”

Sarada’s eyes widened. “You stay here in Konoha most of the time- sorry for asking, but do you think your parent gets lonely?”

Mitsuki blinked in surprise. “I’ve never really thought about it too much… My parent is a researcher, but he works by himself for the most part. He can’t leave home too often, either…”

“Sounds like your parent should start dating,” Boruto joked. 

“Dating?”

“Oh, I was just kiddi-Ow! What the heck, Sarada!”

“Sorry, Mitsuki. He was just joking about that; it’s not really our business to get involved in the affairs of your parent”, she rose from her crouch to stretch her legs, “Anyways, with the makeup of your family, I would say it’s more extended.” 

“Hmmmm,” Mitsuki said more to himself than to his teammates, “Alright, then.”  
…  
Mitsuki continued to ponder. What if his parent did start seeing someone, or was interested in someone? What would they be like? Mitsuki knew for certain that his parent was quite eccentric. He would need to someone that could keep him interested, but was intellectual enough to carry on thought-provoking conversations. His parent led a lucrative life and had the will to uncover all their is to learn. His parent would want a _challenge_. 

Moreso, if his parent were to start seeing someone, how would they react to Mitsuki and his brother. Would they even like them? 

The snake Shinobi was broken from his thoughts as he heard Boruto yelp loudly. 

“Damn, my glove ripped! Ew, gross, gross, gross! The leaf water’s getting on my bare hand!” 

“Stop whining, just go get another one!”

“Maybe we should take a break?” Mitsuki suggested, “my bag is getting full, anyway.”

“So is mine,” Sarada agreed, secretly rejoicing that they could rest from their unpleasant assignment. 

“Whatever, let’s just go down so I can wash my hands!” The blonde positioned himself to jump off the roof when Sarada called out to him. 

“Boruto, go down the ladder! The gutter seems a bit too fragile for you to be jumping recklessly off of it!” the young Uchiha stated as she made her way down the ladder with her bag heaved over her shoulder. 

“Jeez, Sarada, it’s fine! Nothing bad’s gonna happen!” Boruto exclaimed as he jumped off of the roof and landed flawlessly on the ground below them. 

“See? Fine!” 

The roof remained intact, however the aftershock of Boruto’s jump caused the ladder Mitsuki was moving down to shake and fall. The snake boy, who was still preoccupied with his thoughts, hadn’t noticed until it was too late and he fell off, promptly hitting his head against the ground. 

“Mitsuki?...Mitsuki…!!” Boruto’s voice echoed as Mitsuki’s visions went wobbly. 

The world turned black


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I'm back! I actually had some time this weekend so I was able to update. Thank you to all of those who left a kudos and commented! I had an idea for the plot in my head, but that kind of changed when I actually started writing-hence the summary change.

Mitsuki vaguely recalled the distinct feeling of warm hands tending to his throbbing head. His eyes remained shut, but he felt a soothing palm move up and down the back of his skull pressing what could only be healing ninjutsu to numb the pain. It felt quite comforting and the gentle strokes eventually lulled the young snake Shinobi back to the world of sleep.  
...

“..Hey, I think...coming to…!”

_“Boruto?”_

“Boruto, don’t...so close…”

“Move back...little...give...space…”

_“Sarada? Konohamaru-sensei?”_

Mitsuki cracked open his eyes a bit, but promptly shut them as the sunlight from outside flooded his vision. Little by little, he opened his eyes to adjust to the light. When they were fully open, his first sight was his teammates and Sensei standing over him. 

“Mitsuki! Thank goodness you’re awake!” Boruto exclaimed, pushing his face towards the young snake Shinobi, who was currently lying down on a plush brown couch with a blanket around him. 

“ _Boruto_ , don’t get so close! You could exacerbate Mitsuki’s injury,” Konohamaru whisper-yelled at his blonde student before pinching his ear to move him. 

“Ow!”

“Mitsuki, are you alright? How are you feeling?” Sarada asked slowly in a worried tone. 

Mitsuki cleared his throat once before responding. “Fine. Hold on…” He attempted to rise from the couch, but regretted doing so as it only made the throbbing in his head worse. He tried massaging his skull with one hand like the one he felt in his short state of consciousness, but it didn’t end up doing much.

“Hang on a second and go slowly, Mitsuki, you had quite the fall,” Konohamaru said. He gradually rose into a sitting position on the couch, the pink blanket falling off him.

“Is he gon’ be k, ‘Rushi?” a small voice belonging to a child asked. Mitsuki then realized that there were other people in the room. 

Standing by the doorframe leading into the adjacent room were Urushi and a small little girl with brown hair tied into pigtails. 

“He’ll be ok, Nami-chan, he’s a strong Shinobi after all! You know what would be a big help?” he asked in a gentle whisper.

“Wha’?” 

Urushi smiled at the little girl and gave her a pat on the head, “If you could go help Father look for the gauze.” Her eyes lit up. 

“‘K! I go help Father!” She said before running off as fast as her toddler legs would take her. 

The older man then turned his attention back towards Mitsuki. “How are you feeling over there? You gave us a fright when you were knocked out,” he said while making his way towards the Shinobi team. 

“I’m feeling ok. My head still hurts a bit, but otherwise I’m alright.”

Boruto, with a guilty expression on his face stepped forward to look Mitsuki in the eyes. “I’m sorry, Mitsuki, if I hadn’t jumped like Sarada said, you wouldn’t have gotten knocked out…”

Mitsuki gave a light smile. “No harm done.”

“But there was ‘harm done’! You almost cracked your head open!”

“It’s fine, Boruto.”

“I’m really sorry, though...Hey, how about we get some great hamburgers after this! I’ll treat you! Or if you have another place you wanna go to…”

Mitsuki tried to shake his head but that made the throbbing worse, so he settled for a verbal declination. The young snake Shinobi didn’t really eat unless it was food he enjoyed (eggs). Since it was almost the weekend, he also needed to prepare for visiting his parent in Otogakure. 

“Just try to be more careful next time, Boruto,” Konohamaru added. 

“Yeah, I will.” 

Mitsuki turned his attention back towards Urushi. “Thank you, Urushi-san.”

“Oh? For what?”

“Healing my head.”

The man let out a chuckle, “Sorry, but I wasn’t the one that healed you. I’m not the best at medical ninjutsu, if I’m being perfectly honest.”

Mitsuki looked at his Sensei and teammates. Who was it that gently tended to his wound, then? He wanted to give them a formal thank you before leaving. 

“Don’t look at us,” Konohamaru replied to his pupil’s expectant stare, “The, uh, _other_ Orphanage director healed you up.” Before Mitsuki could question his Sensei, a child’s voice loudly interjected. 

“We’ back! And we bwought the gauge!” 

“Nami-chan, lower your voice a bit. We wouldn’t want to disturb the patient, now would we?” A smooth voice called out from behind the door frame.

The little girl used her free hand to cover her mouth as if she did something wrong. “Sowee, Father,” she whispered between her fingers before handing the man the gauze. 

“Thank you, Nami-chan, your help was most appreciated.”

“Uh! I go play outside, now?” she asked, giving puppy dog eyes. 

The man smiled at the girl and patted her head. “Go ahead. But, ah, try not to get too dirty, would you? Urushi and I are going to get started on dinner, soon.”

“K, Father!” she agreed before dashing off.

The man’s appearance gave Mitsuki the most shock. His facial coloring and markings were quite similar to his parent’s. He wore the standard orphanage black robes and kept his long silver hair tied in a low ponytail. His yellow eyes reflected in the glasses he wore. His name wasn’t ‘Father’ was it? That’s what everyone else seemed to call him by. 

“From your stare, I assume you can see me, yes?”

Mitsuki’s eyes widened a bit and he responded with a soft “Hai.”

The man smiled behind circular frames. “That’s good. I was worried you might have damaged your occipital lobe in the fall. How does your head feel?” 

“It throbs quite a bit, but otherwise, fine.” 

“From what I was able to examine, you didn’t break or majorly injure anything, but I will want you to be more careful with your head the next couple of days.”

Mitsuki agreed, still staring at the man, with a light head nod. 

“Do you mind sitting up for me? Mitsuki, was it?”

The young snake Shinobi sat up straighter with his back off of the couch, and responded. “Hai, ‘Mitsuki’ is correct.”

“I’m going to wrap your head in some gauze then, Mitsuki-kun. It should provide protection to your head without adding possible trauma or pressure.” 

The man began to wrap Mitsuki’s head in a thick white gauze. His fingers moved quickly and efficiently-he was obviously experienced in the medical field. His hands were warm and the gentle strokes to his hair as he wrapped the gauze was soothing. Mitsuki unconsciously leaned into the touch. 

“Not too tight, is it?”

“No.”

‘Father’ gave a light chuckle before finishing. “All done, then. Now, I’d advise you not do too much strenuous training if at all possible. The gauze is for protection-apologies if it’s not exactly ‘fashionable’- but you should be able to take it off tomorrow, depending on the condition of your wound.”

He looked back toward ‘Father’ and gave him a smile, to which the older man returned. 

“Thank you very much…” Mitsuki began, tilting his head in an expecting manner.

“Kabuto. Forgive me if I didn’t mention that earlier-everyone here for the most part addresses me as ‘Father’. 

“Thank you for healing my wound, Kabuto-san.”

Kabuto gave a smile. “Of course, Mitsuki-kun. I believe a thanks is in order for you and your teammates, as well. I wasn’t aware that we hired a Shinobi squad to assist with cleaning today, but your work is very appreciated.”

Mitsuki’s face fell. They didn’t finish their work, and by the looks of it the day was almost over with the orange colors of the setting sun seeping through the window blinds. How long had he been out?

“Your teammates finished cleaning the gutters, if that’s what your alarmed facial expression is telling me.” 

How did he…?

Mitsuki glanced at Sarada and Boruto who were looking down at their feet with sheepish faces. 

“We didn’t want you to have to worry about finishing the work while you were resting,” Sarada explained.

“I made some shadow clones, and we all worked twice as hard to clean all of the gutters. We also helped in raking leaves and cleaning their storage area…” Boruto added. 

Kabuto looked at where the two were sitting on the couch. “Well, you both did an excellent job. As expected of bright young Shinobi.” Both grinned not-so-subtlety to Kabuto with a flush on their cheeks. Mitsuki felt a touch of disappointment rise in his chest. If he hadn’t gotten himself knocked out, he would have received praise from Kabuto like that, as well. 

Konohamaru, who was standing with his arms folded by the door frame with Urushi, stood up and strode towards the four of them. “Er, thank you...Kabuto-san.” 

Kabuto smiled with tight lips, this one not quite reaching his eyes. If anything, it looked to be a way of hiding his thoughts and true feelings. 

“Of course, Konohamaru-sensei.”

Both locked eyes as if in a standoff. Konohamaru with a look of apprehension and Kabuto with a hidden smile, which one couldn’t distinguish if real or not. A few more moments of silence passed. 

“I believe we should be leaving,” Konohamaru finally stated, “Wouldn’t want to overstay our welcome.”

“I’d invite you to dinner, but it seems as though you have other places to be.” Kabuto responded, not missing a beat. 

“No need. Thanks for the offer,” their Sensei replied with a tremulous smile of his own.

The man’s round glasses reflected in the light. “Of course.”

“Alright then. Let’s get going you three,” Konohamaru stated as he glanced towards his young Genin team. 

“Hai,” the three replied in unison. 

“I’ll show you out,” Urushi offered kindly, moving away from the door frame. 

“That would be wonderful. Thank you,” Konohamaru said without his previous look of suspicion. 

As the team followed Urushi through a long corridor, the man addressed the three young Genin while he was walking. “Thank you, again. Your help was greatly appreciated and we got a lot done.”

“Of course, Urushi-san,” Sarada replied with a smile. 

“Yeah, no problem.”

Mitsuki opted not to say anything-he hadn’t really done much in the work department. He couldn’t respond to a ‘thank you’ for work he didn’t do. 

When they reached outside, Konohamaru addresses his squad again. “Ok, do you all have everything?”

“Hai.”

“Then let’s get a move on. We’ll go a bit slower today. I can imagine you three are exhausted, and we wouldn’t want to strain Mitsuki’s injury. Let’s get going.”  
…  
The Shinobi team returned just as the sun set. Konohamaru left to put in the details of their completed mission, leaving the three Genin to themselves. 

“Oh, crap I forgot!” Boruto exclaimed with a hand brushing through his hair. 

“What?”

“My old man said he was gonna come home today to have dinner with us. I’m sorry, Mitsuki, but can we postpone hamburgers to tomorrow or something?”

Mitsuki nodded his head. He remembered declining hamburgers, but he didn’t want to hurt his Sun’s feelings. 

Sarada smiled widely. “Papa’s is coming home later this evening too! Mama is making a big dinner to celebrate!”

“That’s nice,” Mitsuki added. Both of his teammates were busy spending time with their own nuclear families, it seemed. 

“You could probably have dinner with us, Mitsuki. I would just need to tell my mom,” Boruto said. 

The young snake Shinobi politely declined and offered his excuse that he needed to start packing to go visit his parent in Oto. 

“Ok...if you’re sure.”

The mission officially ended when the three of them parted ways to go to their respective homes. Mitsuki opened the door to his small apartment and turned on the lights. It was barren, save for his bed, nightstand, and assortment of vitamins and medicines. He packed a few vitamins in his bag and laid down on the bed. He didn’t really need to leave until tomorrow morning, but what else was there for him to do here? He could try to find a place with decent eggs, but it seemed lonesome going by himself. 

Mitsuki brushed a hand through his silver-blue locks and realized with a jolt that he had forgotten his Konoha forehead protector. The orphanage was actually on the way to Oto so he could probably get it in the morning, but the young snake Shinobi wanted to retrieve it immediately. He put his shoes back on and checked the time. 8:37. Hopefully someone was still up.  
…  
When Mitsuki arrived, it was already 9:00. The lights were off and his shoulders sagged in disappointment. He didn’t stand by the main building’s door, rather towards the center where all of the houses faced. That head injury really must have gotten to him or he wouldn’t have forgotten his head protector. Maybe he’ll try again tomorrow-

“Ah! There you are. I was wondering when you were going to come back,” a familiar voice called out to him. 

Mitsuki looked towards the door of the main building and found Kabuto standing there. Light from inside flooded into the darkness, illuminating Mitsuki’s feet. One hand propped the door open, while the other made a gesture for the young snake Shinobi to come inside. Mitsuki shuffled from side to side, not moving, unsure of what to do. 

“It’s quite dark out there, isn’t it? I’ll give you your forehead protector inside, but I can’t under orphanage jurisdiction leave a child-Shinobi or not-unattended.”

Mitsuki stopped shuffling after a few moments and decided to go in. Kabuto held the door open for him, and the young Shinobi offered a quiet “thank you”. He followed the Orphanage director down the same corridor from earlier, but led him past the living room into the large kitchen. 

“You may take a seat if you wish, Mitsuki-kun. Curfew is at 9:00, so most of the other children are in bed. I’ll go fetch your protector. Excuse me a moment.”

Mitsuki took a seat at the long table, noting the single tray of food left out, most likely belonging to Kabuto. He also noted with a start the large amount of dishes that needed cleaning in the sink. 

He felt compelled to wash them. A sponge and dish soap were left out, meaning that Kabuto was probably going to spend a large amount of time cleaning. Mitsuki rose up from the table and rolled up his long, blue sleeves. He turned on the faucet and began to wash. 

Around 10 minutes later, Kabuto returned holding his forehead protector in his hand. 

“Sorry for the delay, Mitsuki-kun, but Nami-chan insisted I read her a bedtime story…You’re washing the dishes?” He sounded quite surprised. 

“Hai,” was Mitsuki’s response. He wasn’t exactly sure why he felt the need to clean the dishes-maybe he felt he didn’t do enough on the mission today? 

Kabuto gave a light chuckle. “I was planning on washing all of them once I had finished my meal… Perhaps Urushi hired you again?” he joked. 

Mitsuki smiled as he continued to wash. “Not really. I just wanted to...make up for my lack of help earlier today, I suppose.” 

“In that case, I believe you should be paid back, what with the free labor and all. It’s a bit late, but do you have any food preferences? I’m not the best cook-that’s more of Urushi’s department-but I’ll see what I can whip up.”

Mitsuki felt he should decline, but ever since his mission ended, he really felt a craving for scrambled eggs. 

“You don’t need to, Kabuto-san…”

“Nonsense. I wouldn’t feel too well if I had a child do my dishes for me and I didn’t pay them back.” A long moment of silence passed, with only the sound of the running faucet going, until Mitsuki finally gave his answer. 

“...I would like scrambled eggs, if that’s alright with you, of course.”

Mitsuki heard Kabuto chuckle once more. “Scrambled eggs, huh?” His voice sounded far away, as if he was looking back on something. 

“I believe that would be perfect.”

Mitsuki finally finished cleaning the dishes around the same time Kabuto finished preparing his eggs with a bowl of rice. The orphanage director laid out a placemat adjacent to where he sat and handed him a pair of chopsticks. The eggs smelled devine, and from the looks of it, they were prepared how Mitsuki liked them-a bit fluffy. 

Kabuto sat down to finish his own forgotten meal and picked up his chopsticks. 

“Thank you for the food,” they said before eating.

The eggs were absolutely wonderful. He had never had eggs as perfectly fluffy and evenly spiced as Kabuto’s. They weren’t so oily and they dripped just the right amount. In almost no time at all, Mitsuki had finished his meal. 

“Hungry, aren’t you?” Kabuto commented with a warm smile as he finished his own food. 

Mitsuki almost looked a bit flustered, “I...enjoy eggs quite a bit, and you made them so well, Kabuto-san.”

“Thank you, Mitsuki-kun. I’ve had to struggle through preparing meals that the other children would want, but eggs were always the the food that I could make with confidence,” Kabuto said with the same far away look in his eyes. 

Once Kabuto finished his meal, he rose from the table and took both of their dishes. 

“Thank you again, Kabuto-san.” Mitsuki remained at the table and felt a hint of regret that he needed to leave to go back to his apartment. As if reading his mind (which Mitsuki found almost odd) Kabuto spoke.

“It’s quite late. You’re more than welcome to stay here the night, Mitsuki-kun.”

Mitsuki looked up. He already stayed longer than he originally intended-he was sure Kabuto probably wanted him out of his home.

“I shouldn’t intrude…”

“Well, I shouldn’t leave you to journey by yourself through the forest when it is almost...10:30 at night,” Kabuto retorted looking at the clock on the wall. 

“...Are you sure it’s alright if I stay?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t think so.”

“... Ok, then. Thank you,” Mitsuki said with an unusually wide smile.

Kabuto gave a smile of his own before reaching a hand to pat Mitsuki’s head. The action immediately filled Mitsuki’s chest with warmth and he leaned into the touch once again.

“How’s your head feeling?” Kabuto said before he removed his hand.

“Much better.”  
…  
“If you need anything else, let me know, Mitsuki-kun. My quarters are in the last room on the left, just down this corridor.”

“Thank you, Kabuto-san,” Mitsuki replied from his comfortable position on the plush couch he rested on earlier in the day. For some reason, sleeping on this couch felt more homely and pleasant than the bed in his own apartment. He pulled the warm blanket closer around him and the young snake Shinobi found himself drowsy. 

“Alright, then. Goodnight, Mitsuki-kun. Sleep well,” Kabuto finally said before switching off the light.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry it's been so long lol, I've been getting busier with school and yada, yada, yada. I don't know if i've mentioned it before, but thank you all so much for taking the time to read this.

Mitsuki awoke to a strange weight on top of his chest. He opened his eyes and found wide green eyes peering down at him. 

“Hey, he’s awake!” came the excited shout from the young boy. “Good morning! You were the Shinobi from yesterday, right? The one that hit his head? When did you arrive here? Did you break in? Does Father know you’re he-"

“Kaito! Don’t bother our guest so early in the morning. Come and finish your breakfast,” called Urushi, wearing an apron and holding a spatula in his hand. 

“Good morning, Mitsuki. It’s good to see you’re awake. Kaito-come!”

The young boy gave a pout but hopped off of the couch regardless. He gave a tiny smirk before quickly skipping out of the room. Mitsuki rose from the couch and stretched his muscles. He felt fresh and well-rested. He peered at the clock on the wall. 7:05. Normally, he left for Oto at around 8:00, but since he stayed at the orphanage for the night, he could probably get away with leaving around 8:30. 

Mitsuki stared at the low rise coffee table next to the couch and noticed with a start that his forehead protector wasn’t there.

_“That little boy probably took it.”_

He stood and unconsciously brushed a hand through his head. The headache from yesterday was gone. He heard the sound of sizzling and smelled the aroma of fresh bacon coming from the kitchen. 

Mitsuki entered the kitchen and found a large number of the nearly identical children with the Sharingan helping around the kitchen. Four were setting the tables, two were frying bacon while another two were frying rice. Among them, he saw Urushi flipping pancakes at the stove. He didn’t see Kabuto anywhere, though. He walked up beside Urushi to greet him. 

“Good morning, Urushi-san.”

The black haired man turned his head. “Ah, Mitsuki! Good morning! Sorry if Kaito woke you-he tends to be a bit excitable, especially when there’s guests.”

“Sorry if I intruded a bit.”

“Not at all! Kabuto told me the situation this morning. I just feel bad you were waken so abruptly!”

“It’s alright, Urushi-san. Did you...happen to see anyone else, besides Kaito, go into the living room this morning?”

Urushi narrowed his eyes a bit in thought. “Mmmm...No! Just Kaito I think! A lot of the younger children are just starting to get up. Why?”

“My forehead protector wasn’t on the coffee table where I left it this morning.” 

The older man tsked before letting out a sigh. “Sorry Mitsuki, Kaito probably took it.”

“That’s ok, Urushi-san, I’ll just go look for him to retrieve it.”

“Here, Rento will go help you find him,” Urushi said as he lowered the flames on the stove to prevent the pancakes from burning, “Rento!”

“Coming!” Came the response from the outer room. A Sharingan sibling came in holding a broom and dustpan. He had a relaxed smile on his face as he addressed Urushi. 

“What’s up?” 

“Rento, this is Mitsuki, one of the Genin that assisted in cleaning yesterday. Would you help him find Kaito? I think he took Mitsuki’s forehead protector.”

“Sure thing,” he responded before propping up his broom on on the wall, “Come with me, Mitsuki.” Rento gestured for him to follow. 

“This place is quite energetic,” Mitsuki noted, attempting to start a conversation.

“Yeah, you should see it when everyone’s awake-complete pandemonium. There’s a lot of me and my siblings, so it can get pretty crowded. It’s good that Urushi-san and Father are so used to the noise.”

At that Mitsuki’s ears perked up. “Where is Kabuto-san, if f you don’t mind my asking?” He observed the group of children playing with a red ball in the field around them. 

“Oh, Father wakes up pretty early to get started on daily chores and paperwork. Many kids here have been getting adopted in the past year, so he has to be the one to sign and interview potential parents.”

“Ah, I see. I take it he’s quite a busy person, then.”

“Hai. He always makes time for us, though. Father’s pretty efficient with getting work done-it’s amazing how well he can multitask.”

“Is he out right now?”

“No. He doesn’t typically leave the orphanage. If we need groceries or something, it’s typically Urushi-san that gets them. He’s probably in the main house doing some work in his room. Excuse me a moment,” Rento left to go speak to a group of his siblings, most likely to ask if they had seen Kaito anywhere. 

The Sharingan sibling returned and continued their conversation where they left off, “What was I saying again? Oh yeah! So basically, Father doesn’t really like to leave this place.”

Strange as it may be, Mitsuki found himself becoming more and more interested in the orphanage director-he was sure that he was linked to his parent somehow. That was the only explanation for his appearance. He continued to ponder the possible reasons but came up short.

“Is there a reason he doesn’t like to leave the orphanage? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Rento looked from left to right, as if about to divulge a large secret. “Uh, Father was majorly involved in the Fourth Great Shinobi War. He led a pretty lucrative life before the orphanage. He...doesn’t talk about his old life too much. That’s basically all we know. I know Urushi knows more, but his lips are sealed. Every time one of us tries to bring it up, Father just gives this...smile? I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but it’s like an uncrackable mask. You can never really get anything from it.”

Mitsuki nodded his head. So he was involved with the war. From what he was just told, Kabuto was most likely involved with the “bad side” to put it in elementary terms. His parent never really told him much about his old life, either, but Mitsuki knew that his parent was seen as a dangerous terrorist by those that knew him. The killer of the Third Hokage.

“You...won’t tell anyone, right?” Rento asked with a hint of worry. 

“Of course.”

“Whew! What a relief. A lot of the villagers don’t really know that Father resides here. I was worried you’d tell others and…” Rento looked up with sad eyes, “...I just wouldn’t know what we’d do without him, you know?”

Mitsuki smiled at the white-haired teen. “But of course.”

Silence passed for a few moments before Rento decided to speak up again. “You know, this is gonna sound weird, but you look a bit like Father.”

That shocked Mitsuki to say the least, but it made some sense he supposed. Mitsuki looked like his parent and so did Kabuto. It was most likely just the pale skin and eyes.

“How so?”

“I don’t know, like the smile? It’s hard to read what you’re thinking when you smile, too, if I’m being honest. Your hair is kinda similar in shade, too. A little bit of the shape in the eyes?” Rento paused when he observed something in the distance, “There! I see Kaito wearing your headband.”

They observed Kaito from a distance. The boy was attempting to climb a tall tree, probably playing ninja. He climbed up relatively high, not a care in the world. 

He tried balancing on a branch, but ended up slipping and falling, hitting the ground with a loud ‘THUD’. The next thing Mitsuki knew, he was running next to Rento who was holding a crying Kaito. The six-year-old was clenching his wrist in pain. 

They barged into the main house. Most of the noise was coming from the dining hall, where almost all of the children were sitting down and eating. They scanned the area looking for Kabuto, but found he wasn’t there. 

Running out of the dining hall, they dashed towards Kabuto’s quarters/study. The man was hunched over his desk looking over some files with his half-eaten breakfast next to him. 

“Father! Father!” Rento cried out, still holding the wailing child. Kabuto got up quickly from his desk and rolled up his sleeves. 

“Place him sitting up on the headboard, Rento. Then go fetch me some ice and gauze.”

“Right away, Father.”

“Mitsuki, I’m going to need you to apply slight pressure to his hand down and prop it up with some of those pillows near you.” Mitsuki immediately did as he was told and pressed the boy’s hand down into the plush pillows. 

Kabuto began to fill his hand with healing chakra and moved it over the boy’s swollen wrist. Overtime, Kaito’s crying died down to a few sniffles and Kabuto pressed a bag of ice on the boy’s wrist to help with the swelling. 

Kabuto exhaled in relief and glanced at Rento, who automatically knew what his Father was going to ask. 

“He was trying to play ninja in a tree and fell.”

“Ah. That explains the forehead protector,” Kabuto replied simply as he untied it from behind the boy’s neck, “I believe this belongs to you, Mitsuki-kun?”

“H-hai. Sorry if it keeps causing issues, Kabuto-san,” Mitsuki said with a twinge of guilt, retrieving the headband once again.

“Well, unfortunately accidents do happen. We were just lucky it was only a sprained wrist.” He glanced down affectionately at the boy, who had fallen asleep. Dried tears stained his cheeks and Kabuto used one of his sleeves to try and wipe them off. Kaito looked tired but fine for the most part. 

“You two should eat something,” Kabuto said after a few moments of silence, “Kaito should be alright after a few hours of rest. I’ll wrap his wrist afterwards and he’ll be good as new.”

“Are you sure, Father?” 

“Hai, Rento. Good work today,” Kabuto said. The Sharingan sibling glanced back down at the resting boy before slowly exiting the room. Mitsuki stayed behind, however. 

Kabuto noticed the young Shinobi and offered a comforting smile. “You did an excellent job as well, Mitsuki-kun. You seem to be a natural when it comes to tending wounds and the like.”

“Really?” Mitsuki responded with perked ears. 

“Hai. You acted calm under pressure and had a good gauge on the appropriate pressure to apply to Kaito’s wrist. It’s always your choice on what you wish to do in the future, but I think you would make a fine medical nin.”

Medical ninjutsu? Mitsuki has never really thought about it too much. He knew he would want to be a fine Shinbi, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t learn and master the healing arts. It seemed to come in handy, considering how often ninja get hurt during battles and training. 

“Thank you, Kabuto-san, I’ll think about it,” Mitsuki replied. He glanced toward the digital clock on Kabuto’s nightstand and realized it was already 9:00. If he left any later, his parent would ultimately send a snake summons to check on him. 

Kabuto seemed to notice Mitsuki’s long glance at the clock and spoke up. “Do you need to leave, Mitsuki-kun?”

“Hai, Kabuto-san. My parent will be wondering where I am.”

“But of course. If I may ask, does your parent reside back in central Konoha? 

Mitsuki shook his head in response. “No, they live in Otogakure. I transferred to Konoha to attend their Ninja Academy, but I still visit on the weekends.” 

The young snake Shinobi noticed how Kabuto seemed to go a bit still and noted how the far-away look in his eyes from yesterday returned. Silence filled the room. 

“Kabuto-san? Are you familiar with Oto or something?” Mitsuki attempted to gather information on the mysterious orphanage director indirectly. Hopefully that would give him some clues on his history with his parent. 

Kabuto shook his head and gave the young boy his masked smile. “Let’s just say I knew an ingenious person from Otogakure a lifetime ago.”

Mitsuki tilted his head in response, unsure of what to say. That didn’t give him too much information. The population of Oto had been growing since before the Fourth Great Shinobi War, and those numbers have only since doubled overtime. There were many people residing there now. Of course, the chance Kabuto was speaking about his parent was still relatively high.

“No need to worry, Mitsuki-kun, just an old soul reminiscing the past. We should get you prepared to go visit your parent,” Kabuto said, checking on Kaito once more before rising from where he sat on the bed. 

Mitsuki followed the orphanage director out of his quarters. They stopped by the dining hall so Kabuto could speak with Urushi. 

“Kabuto! Rento told me what happened, is everything alright with Kaito?” the black-haired man asked. 

“Hai, Urushi, everything’s alright. He just received a sprained wrist falling down from a tree. I healed it for the most part, with Mitsuki’s assistance, and the swelling appears to be going down. I’m going to lead Mitsuki out, then I’ll return to wrap his injury with gauze and try to give him breakfast with some medicine. Kaito is currently resting in my room at the moment. Would you mind keeping an eye on him?” 

“Of course,” Urushi responded, “It was nice seeing you again Mitsuki, albeit for a shorter amount of time. Thanks for helping in treating Kaito! You’re always welcome to come stay over!” He smiled at the two and made his way towards Kabuto’s room. 

“Do you have everything you need?” Kabuto asked as they exited the main building. 

“Hai.”

“And your head?” the orphanage director asked while using a gentle hand to lightly pat the back of Mitsuki’s cranium. The young snake Shinobi leaned into the touch once more.

“It should be healed for the most part.”

“You should be able to take the gauze off then, if you wish. Are you certain you have your forehead protector?”

Mitsuki noted the little joke Kabuto told and responded with a smile. “Yes, I have it here in my pouch. I’ll take off the bandages when I reach Oto. Thank you for everything, Kabuto-san.” Mitsuki gave a bow to the bespectacled man. 

Kabuto gave the brush of a hand. “Think nothing of it, Mitsuki-kun. And remember-you’re always welcome to stay here if you need.”

Mitsuki nodded before quickly dashing off towards Otogakure. He looked behind him once more and smiled when he saw Kabuto give him a small wave before re-entering the building.  
…  
“Mitsuki, there you are!” called a familiar voice.

"Hello, Suigetsu."

The water nin held his hands behind his head and was dressed down in more casual clothing, an indicator that he was going out. Immediately following him were Karin and Jūgo. 

“Where have you been?” Karin demanded, “We were worried something might have happened to you! And what the hell happened to your head?” 

Mitsuki reached up to rub the gauze wrapped around his head, forgetting it was even there. Remembering the facade Kabuto showed to others when he wanted to hide something, the young snake Shinobi smiled, attempting to imitate it. 

“I fell and hit my head on a mission yesterday and ended up resting in my apartment for a longer period of time, causing me to be late.”

It was sort of the truth. 

Suigetsu let out a sigh before giving Mitsuki a toothy grin, “Well it’s a good thing you’re here, kid. Orochimaru-sama was about to make me go out and search for you before I was allowed to go take a break at the hot springs.” It seemed he bought into the ruse. 

Jūgo, who remained silent for the most part, walked up to Mitsuki. “Are you sure that’s what happened?” He asked in a reserved tone. 

“Hai.”

The orange-haired man narrowed his eyes a bit, obviously suspicious. 

“Jūgo, it’s fine! Mitsuki’s here and that’s all that matters,” Karin stated, “Orochimaru-sama should be in the lab, Mitsuki. We’re going to be heading out, so take care of yourself.”

“Hai, I will Karin. Thank you,” Mitsuki stated as he made his way towards his parent’s laboratory. He heard the three’s hushed conversation from behind him. 

“What the heck was that all about, Jūgo?” he heard Suigetsu ask. 

“Yeah! Did you think something was wrong with Mitsuki?”

“...No, that smile just...looked a bit familiar is all.”

“Hah??”

As Mitsuki moved further away, their conversation gradually died down. He stood before the doors leading into his parent’s lab and exhaled before making his way inside.  
…

His parent was tapping away at the keys to a large monitoring screen, analyzing sets of data and observations from his most recent experiments. Seeming to notice his child’s presence, he spoke, not turning away from the monitor. 

“You’re late.”

“Hai.” 

Silence.

Orochimaru stopped tapping and turned towards Mitsuki, obviously expecting more elaboration on why he had been late for the first time. Golden, serpentine eyes peaked upward and landed on the gauze wrapped around Mitsuki’s head. 

“I hit my head on a mission yesterday and rested in my apartment longer than I had originally intended.”

The snake man made his way towards Mitsuki to examine the wound. 

“Is that so?”

Mitsuki gave a hidden smile. “Hai.”

Orochimaru responded with a light ‘hm’. He laid a finger under Mitsuki’s chin, tilting it from side to side to examine the wound. With an unreadable expression across his porcelain skin, he spoke. “You were late almost 3 hours. I find it hard to believe you slept in that long.”

Mitsuki’s eyes widened, but he mentally berated himself from doing so. His parent would obviously be able to tell that he was lying now. How was he going to phrase this?

“Well?” Orochimaru stated calmly with the move of one hand. His robes whirled and ruffled with the action. 

Mitsuki exhaled. “While it’s true I did oversleep, it was only for an hour. I traveled a bit faster to make up for my lack of sleep, but that ended up exacerbating my head injury, so I...rested in a roadside tea shop on the way here.” He attempted to look a bit embarrassed to reinforce his story.

Orochimaru smiled at his child. “Now was that so hard? What occurred on your mission? How is your progress going?”

“It was a simple task-assist in cleaning-but I...fell off a ladder and hit my head. It feels better after resting, so I’m going to try and remove the bandages now,” Mitsuki stated, reaching his hands toward the gauze. His hands were held by his parent, however, preventing him from removing the wrappings.

“I’ll unwrap this for you. Continue.”

Mitsuki looked up to stare at his parent, as if in a silent protest, but moved his hands away regardless. 

“We were tasked with a simple cleaning mission yesterday, and I simply fell off of a ladder. Nothing much else worthy of note.” Mitsuki didn’t want to go into too much detail about where the mission was. For some reason, he felt a bit uneasy. What if his parent and Kabuto disliked-even hated-each other? He might forbid him from going back to the orphanage.

Not that Mitsuki would really care. He would just like to visit that place freely without a snake summons following him to report back to his parent. 

His parent’s slender fingers unwrapped the gauze layer by layer. On the third layer, his fingers slowed. 

Orochimaru’s gaze remained focused on the gauze. 

“...Who wrapped your head?” he asked in a light tone with softened eyes.

“A medic from the hospital.”

There was a few moments of silence before Orochimaru spoke again. “Are you sure?” he questioned before continuing to unwrap the gauze. A strange expression decorated his parent’s face.

“Hai... I don’t remember their name, though.”

“...I see.”

More silence passed by and the strange expression was still across his parent’s face. 

_“Anger? No. Happiness? Not really. Sadness? Close, but not exactly.”_

The young Shinobi was snapped from his thoughts when his parent commented on his intense staring. 

“Something wrong?” The strange expression shifted to an enigmatic smirk-something Mitsuki was more accustomed to seeing in all truth.

Mitsuki shook his head in response and relaxed his stare. 

His parent had also just finished unwrapping the gauze. He had clumped it into a ball and held it in his palm, staring down at it with the same indefinable expression from earlier. As his eyes rested on Mitsuki once more, a smile graced his features. He turned around to dispose of the wrapping in the nearest wastebasket.

Facing towards his child once again, Orochimaru spoke. “We’ll do a bit of training once I’ve finished what I need for today. Then we can discuss your current progress in regards to the building of your sage abilities.” 

The young snake Shinobi hadn’t said anything, but gave a firm nod of his head before exiting and making his way towards the training area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the story continues! This story actually turned out longer than I had originally intended lol.

A kunai flew towards Mitsuki, just barely grazing over a pale cheek. He felt blood trickle down his face from where the fresh cut had just formed. 

Making hand signs, he blew a large gust of wind towards the opposite end of the training area where his parent stood. Orochimaru quickly jumped up and evaded the majority of the attack. Mid leap, his arms stretched out, forming snakes, to try and capture the child. 

Mitsuki dodged the serpents and outstretched his own arms as well. He tightly grabbed hold of his parent, constricting his movement, only to find his arms wrapped around a log from a substitution jutsu. His yellow eyes widened when he felt a kunai press against his neck from behind him. 

“Close, but not close enough,” came the raspy voice. Orochimaru released Mitsuki from his gold and the young Shinobi slumped forward in exhaustion. 

“You seem to be showing improvement, Mitsuki. Not as much as I had hoped, but I suppose that’s to be expected considering you are training in Konoha during the peak of peace and relative prosperity.”

Mitsuki swallowed heavily and sat down on the floor. He recalled what Kabuto had done to heal Kaito’s sprained wrist and attempted to tend his own wound. He pressed a couple fingers on his sprained ankle, applying pressure. He didn’t know any medical ninjutsu, but with the events from today, he was becoming more and more inclined to learn. 

Orochimaru observed his child from a distance, not saying anything. He really was a prodigy, though that was no surprise considering who his parent was. He stepped forward to lay a hand on Mitsuki’s shoulder. 

“Follow me to the infirmary room. Karin is gone at the moment, but I am more than capable of treating a sprained ankle. Come,” Orochimaru said before slowly exiting the training grounds. He paused at the exit, not turning around, but knew his child would follow at a much more gradual pace. 

Mitsuki shakily stood up and limped to follow his parent. The infirmary room wasn’t far from the training grounds, so the young snake Shinobi wasn’t standing for that long of a time. When they arrived, he sat down on the tall examination table, observing as his parent dug through some cabinets. 

A few moments later, his parent found what he was looking for- gauze and disinfectant. 

“Hold your leg out,” Orochimaru ordered. He kneeled down to wrap Mitsuki’s ankle. Silence filled the room as he did so. The young snake Shinobi became a bit nervous.

“I forgot to ask earlier, but where exactly did your mission take place?” Orochimaru asked, breaking the silence. 

Mitsuki thought about his words. “In a small townhouse just outside of Konoha. After I hit my head, Boruto and Sarada ended up finishing the mission while Konohamaru-Sensei took me to the medical ward.”

“A cleaning task, ne? Peaceful times indeed. And how, exactly, did you fall off a ladder so easily? I find it difficult to think you ended up with a head injury out of sheer clumsiness.”

“The ladder was shaken unexpectedly.”

“I see,” the older snake man stated before finishing. Silence encompassed the room once more. This time, however, Mitsuki was the one to break it. 

“I want to learn medical ninjutsu,” he stated openly. Best to get it out now than later, he supposed. 

Orochimaru silently rose from his crouch on the floor, gracefully dusting himself off. Golden eyes peered at the child, analyzing him. 

He raised a dark eyebrow. “Now this is unexpected. You’ve never shown an interesting est in medical ninjutsu before. What could have happened to influence your motivations, I wonder?” 

To be perfectly honest, Mitsuki himself wasn’t quite sure why he wanted to learn. It seemed absolutely necessary to have someone that knew how to heal on any good ninja team, but he had disregarded that idea before, thinking one of his other teammates would the one.

Mitsuki smiled. “It’s rather handy, isn’t it? Boruto and Sarada don’t quite know how to heal, and that could be risky when we receive higher-ranked missions.” 

“Sasuke-kun’s little daughter doesn’t know? That seems quite surprising considering her mother is Tsunade-hime’s protege and quite adept at healing.”

“Sarada has the chakra control for medical ninjutsu, but she hasn’t shown any inclination for learning, and Boruto wants to become a strong Shinobi like Sarada’s parent.”

“And you feel becoming a strong Shinobi like Sasuke-kun or even Naruto-kun wouldn’t be to your ‘fit’?” Orochimaru asked with a smirk.

Mitsuki closed his eyes in contemplation. Opening them, he spoke. “I want to be with Boruto and become a strong Shinobi as well. I don’t see why I can’t learn medical ninjutsu as I progress, though.”

Orochimaru remained silent for a few moments. “...Hmm. I see. In that case, Karin may be able to instruct you. I myself can also perform basic medical jutsu. Enough to teach you, that is.”

Mitsuki raised his head in a bit of shock. “I didn’t know you knew medical ninjutsu.”

Orochimaru looked down at his child. “Any good Shinobi should at least understand the basics. My will to learn all jutsu led me to practice healing, though I never specialized in it. As a Shinobi of Konoha, Tsunade-hime was our team’s healer, so my focus remained primarily on physical ninjutsu for battle. After I defected from the village and established Oto, I had an excellent medic by my side, further influencing my lack of desire in advancing my healing capabilities.”

“Who was your medic?”

The older man tilted his head his head to the side. It seemed he wasn’t going to get a clear answer from his parent anytime soon. His serpentine eyes looked as though they were glittering. 

“No one to concern yourself over, Mitsuki.” His face bore an enigmatic smirk as if he knew something you didn't.

The young snake Shinobi hummed in contemplation. _“Always so secretive…”_

Mitsuki examined his parent. While he was always more secretive and reserved, today it was especially noticeable.

After another lapse of silence, the older man blinked and turned his attention back on his young child. “Returning to the original issue at hand. Your medical ninjutsu instructor? I should be able to teach you the basics when you come to visit…”

Mitsuki looked down at his injured ankle. The last thing he would want was to upset his parent. The man could be a bit temperamental. He chose his words carefully. 

“Because I only see you in the weekends, I’ll try to find an instructor in Konoha. It should be relatively simple, I hope.” He already had in mind to ask a certain bespectacled Orphanage caretaker to teach him the art in healing. 

His parent shrugged his shoulder. “Do as you wish. Alongside your physical training with me on the weekends, I should also hope to see your progress in medical ninjutsu.”

“Hai. Understood.”

They stopped in front of one the doors leading to a large bathroom. Mitsuki looked back up at his parent and saw the unreadable expression plastered across his face again. The man looked back down at Mitsuki and began to speak. 

“I’m going to wash up a bit before going back into the lab. Feel free to rest in your quarters in the meantime. I expect to see you back in the training area in the early morning before you leave.”

Mitsuki nodded his head in acknowledgment.

Orochimaru turned towards the door before addressing his son once more. “Oh, and if you happen to see Suigetsu, tell him I’ll require his assistance organizing some files later on.”

“Hai,” the young snake Shinobi said as he watched his parent disappear into the large bathroom. 

Mitsuki watched the door for a few more moments before making his way to the lounging area.  
...  
When he made it there, he found Suigetsu, Karin, and Jūgo sitting on the large plush purple couch in the middle of a conversation. The white-haired nin noticed Mitsuki first and gave him a toothy smile. 

“Mitsuki! There you are!”

“Come sit with us,” Karin called out, roughly shoving Suigetsu to make room for the young snake Shinobi. 

“Oi! Karin!”

Mitsuki quietly sat down in between Karin and Jūgo. 

“How was your training?” Karin asked.

“Fine. I sprained my ankle and he ended up treating it in the infirmary, but nothing else really noteworthy.”

Suigetsu pushed Karin back while she focused on Mitsuki, jostling the couch. “Where is Orochimaru-sama?” 

“You bastard! Cut that out!”

“You started it!”

The two began to engage in an argument but was interrupted when Jūgo readdressed Mitsuki in a soft voice.

“As Suigetsu asked, where is Orochimaru-sama, Mitsuki?”

“He took a wash. He also wanted me to tell you that he needs your assistance organizing some files, Suigetsu.”

The white-haired man stopped in his argument and sighed loudly. “Man, I hate organizing files. Orochimaru-sama has this weird system I’m still not accustomed to, and it’s been more than 5 years!” 

Karin grinned deviously. “Ha! Too bad for you, Suigetsu.”

“Shut up! If you think you’re so great, then why don’t you do it, then?”

“I know as much as you when it comes to how Orochimaru-sama thinks, idiot.” 

“Tch! That’s what I thought! Who knows, maybe I can go to Konoha while Orochimaru-sama’s bathing and convince Kabuto to do it, instead,” Suigetsu joked. Mitsuki’s ears perked and paid closer attention to the conversation. 

“Do he and Orochimaru-sama even talk anymore?”

“Nah, four eyes left all of this behind after the war,” he gestured for the others to come closer and began to speak in a hushed whisper, “this doesn’t leave this room, but sometimes when he stays up late from experimenting, Orochimaru-sama will unconsciously call for Kabuto. I’ve seen it happen before multiple times. That’s usually when he decides to pack it up and go to bed.”

All four nin, even Jūgo, held shocked looks on their faces when they heard a fifth voice interrupt the conversation.

“What are you four whispering about over there, I wonder?”

Suigetsu looked the most surprised and guilty. “Orochimaru-sama!”

A quirked eyebrow was his only response. His lips were sealed tightly and there was a neutral expression upon his pale features. “Well?”

Suigetsu looked as if he were about to faint so Mitsuki decided to speak up. Putting on the masked smile he learned from Kabuto, he responded. “Suigetsu was telling us about how he was nervous to assist you in organizing files because he still isn’t used to your organizational method.” No hint of hesitation. No idea to give away the fact that they had been talking about how his parent obviously missed his former right-hand man. 

His parent narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, reflecting suspicion, but then he simply shrugged his shoulders. “I see. I’ll instruct you on how I want them organized, Suigetsu, so there’s no need to feel nervous,” he stated simply, waving off his assistant's concern. 

The white haired nin let out a small sigh of relief and rose from the couch. “In that case, I better get started now, then.”

Orochimaru nodded his head before turning away to walk towards his lab, knowing that Suigetsu would follow. Before leaving the lounge room, the white-haired man turned back around to give a thumbs up to Mitsuki with a toothy grin.

When they were out of earshot, Karin began to speak again. “That idiot,” she sighed, “always spouting stuff too loudly that could get us in trouble. That was a good save, Mitsuki.” Jūgo agreed with her by silently nodding his head.

“I forgot to ask you Mitsuki, but do you know who Kabuto is? Orochimaru-sama doesn’t really talk about him too much…”

“N-no. Not really. I think this is my first time hearing of him.”

“Really? I would have thought you’d have met him by now. Although he does live a bit further away from the central area of the village…” Karin shook her head to concentrate on her previous line of thought, “Anyway, he was your parent’s right hand man and close advisor. He was also his medic.”

“Oh.” 

_“So that’s how he and Kabuto are acquainted.”_ Mitsuki also had the feeling that when Kabuto mentioned an “ingenious man from a lifetime ago”, and his parent “a good friend from years back”, they were talking about each other.

“Yeah. You know what’s funny, the guy was basically _infatuated_ with Orochimaru-sama,” she replied in a sing-song voice before snorting in laughter.

Mitsuki’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Karin…” Jūgo warned.

“C’mon, Jūgo, you know it as well as I do that he was practically in _love_ with Orochimaru-sama.” 

Mitsuki remained silent, pondering over this new tidbit of information. Kabuto had loved his parent? He assumed their past relationship was close, but purely platonic. It was interesting to hear that the orphanage caretaker he seemed to find himself admiring more and more used to think of his parent in that sort of light. 

“How-how did you find out that...Kabuto...loved my parent?”

“Karin may be...over exaggerating… a bit. I wouldn’t use the word ‘love’, but Kabuto did have a great amount of admiration for Orochimaru-sama.” Karin huffed at Jūgo’s response.

“What does my parent think of him?” Mitsuki found himself unable to stop asking questions. He wanted-no needed-to know. He was going to ask the man in question if he would be willing to teach him medical ninjutsu, after all. 

Karin held her chin in her hand in thought. “Well, that I’m not too sure about, Mitsuki. He obviously misses Kabuto in the companion department, but if he loved him, well I wouldn’t know.”

Mitsuki remained silent for a few moments, contemplating. He looked up from side to side at Jūgo and Karin before speaking. 

“I already told my parent, but I wanted to let you know that I’m planning on learning medical ninjutsu.”

Both Jūgo’s and Karin’s eyes widened before smiling fondly at the young Shinobi. 

“Well, that’s great, Mitsuki!” Karin exclaimed.

“Hai. Congratulations to you.”

“One question though-what made you interested in learning?”

“My past few missions in Konoha have made me realize what an essential field it is for Shinobi and even everyday villagers.”

“Well that’s true enough. Medics never get enough credit as it is, so make us proud, huh?”

“I’ll try my best.”

Jūgo spoke up, raising his voice level just the slightest. “Who’s going to teach you?”

Mitsuki kept a cool outward appearance before shrugging his shoulders. “I’m not really sure, but I’ll try to find an instructor in Konoha.”

“Well, I could always give you some pointers if you ever need. So could Orochimaru-sama.”

“Thank you, Karin.”

“And work hard! Medics get a bad rep because the field’s seen as ‘feminine’ or ‘weak’, but it’s pretty challenging to learn! If it’s too easy for you, we’ll just find your teacher and tell them to push you even more!” Karin exclaimed with a grin.

“We’re rooting for you,” Jūgo stated in a more relaxed manner.

Mitsuki smiled at the two. “Thank you. I will work hard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos/Reviews are appreciated! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! This chapter takes place 1 month after chapter 4, so Mitsuki is already Kabuto's student at this point. This chapter was one of my favorites to write, so I hope you enjoy it! :)

“You need a vacation.”

“Urushi, as I’ve stated before, I’m perfectly fine.”

“C’mon, Kabuto! You’re amazing at hiding things and how you’re really feeling, but even I can tell you’re overextending yourself a bit. You can’t exactly hide the eye bags with that mask of yours.”

The silver haired orphanage director closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, putting down the pen in his hand. His brother really hadn’t changed all that much since the days of their youth. Opening his eyes, he spoke. “I assure you, I can handle myself. I have the same amount of work I’ve always had.”

“Well that’s different now that you’re teaching Mitsuki medical ninjutsu,” Urushi tsked, “You have the same amount of paperwork and chores you usually have, but now you have less time to do them.”

“Would you suggest I stop teaching Mitsuki?”

“That’s not what I’m saying Kabuto, and you know it. Mitsuki’s a joy to have here, but you look more and more exhausted now. Just take a break; we’re more than capable of holding down the fort while you take a mental health vacation! Go to a hot spring, visit Kirigakure-I’ve heard it’s a beautiful tourist destination now-just do something.”

The bespectacled man was about to retort when a knock was heard on his door. “Come in,” Kabuto responded. 

Mitsuki entered the room holding a broom in his hand. “I’ve finished sweeping, Urushi-san.”

The brown haired man smiled at the pale young Shinobi. “Excellent job, Mitsuki. You know, I never expected you to want to help around here outside of your missions.”

“Kabuto-san is taking time out of his busy schedule to teach me. It’s the least I could do,” Mitsuki responded with a quick glance towards the silver-haired man, “Is there anything else you need?”

Kabuto took his pen back in his hand and returned to the bills in front of him. “No, that should be fine for now, Mitsuki-kun,” he replied, quickly glancing towards the young boy with a fond smile on his face. “Wait for me by the infirmary and we can begin our lessons. I’ll just finish up the work I have here and meet with you shortly.”

The young Shinobi nodded his head before proceeding to exit the room. 

Urushi watched Mitsuki leave before turning back to his brother. “He’s a good kid,” he stated simply. 

“Hai, he is.” Silence encompassed the room for a few moments before Kabuto finished his estimation of the balance for next month.

Kabuto rose from his desk and slowly made his way towards the door, Urushi walking beside him. “Tell me something, Kabuto.”

“Hm,” Kabuto responded.

“Why did you agree to take Mitsuki in as a pupil?”

The room was still, with the only noise coming from the ticking of the clock on the wall and the occasional sound of chirping from outside. Kabuto remained silent until he found a sufficient answer. 

“I’m honestly not quite sure why I agreed. I’m sure Mitsuki could have found an equal if not better instructor who at least resided closer. However…”

Urushi turned his head and raised his eyebrows in expectation. “Yes…?”

“However, I feel...a certain connection with him… It’s difficult to explain.”

“Wow, you certainly got attached fast,” the dark haired man teased. 

Kabuto gave his brother a light glare. He held his hands up in surrender and spoke with a large grin, “C’mon, Kabuto, you can’t deny that you’re fond of the kid. You’re literally on your way to give him a lesson as we speak!”

The bespectacled man dropped his glare and allowed a contemplative smile to grace his features. “I suppose I am.”

Kabuto continued to ponder to himself on reasons why he felt the strange attachment to the young Shinobi. One reason in particular seemed to resonate within his mind.

_“Perhaps I’ve become attached because he reminds me of him…?”_  
…  
He found Mitsuki waiting outside of the small infirmary, staring at the old pictures hanging on the wall in front of him. His golden eyes turned when he noticed Kabuto’s presence. 

“There you are, Mitsuki-kun. Were you waiting long?”

“No, Kabuto-san.”

The bespectacled man moved his hand to open the infirmary door, his dark robes shuffling with the action. “Let’s get started, then, shall we? After you,” he stated, holding open the door. Mitsuki smiled up at the older man and thanked him before stepping inside. 

The infirmary was much smaller than the one in his parent’s hideout, but it still retained a homely feel to it, with natural lighting pouring into the room. Colorful anatomical posters were plastered against the walls with small figures of various body parts decorating the shelves. On the main desk within the room was a small computer with multiple sticky notes attached to it. Propped up by it was a small picture. Mitsuki moved in a bit closer to examine it. 

The frame was kept clean and in good condition, but the picture itself was old and worn down with the corners frayed and partially ripped. Mitsuki squinted a great deal to see who was on the photo. It was a blonde woman with thick black frames and warm green eyes. She was wearing the standard Orphanage robes and while not exactly stunning, she had a lovely face and a kind smile. 

“Ah, looking at that old photo, are you?” Kabuto said as he approached the young Shinobi. He picked up the photograph and cleaned the glass with the sleeves of his robe before placing it back on the counter. A melancholic expression crossed his face for the briefest of moments.

“Who is that?”

The bespectacled man looked down at the young boy and lightly ruffled his hair before staring back at the picture. In a soft tone, he answered. “That… is Nonō Yakushi, or Mother as she was previously called. She was the previous head of the Orphanage back when Urushi and I were children.”

Mitsuki’s eyes widened at the man before turning his attention back on the photograph. He squinted his eyes to focus in on the more intricate details of the picture. “Really?”

“Hai. She was one of the most kind and caring individuals I had ever met...In fact, she was the one who taught me basic medical ninjutsu and sparked my interest in the field...” Mitsuki focused back on the older man, but hadn’t added any extra commentary. 

Kabuto shook his head and gave the young Shinobi a smile. “Forgive me, I seem to be feeling a bit nostalgic today. Let’s begin our lesson for the day.” He turned around and walked towards a large metal cabinet, pulling out a large plastic kit. He sat down at a large metal table and ushered Mitsuki to take the chair across from him. 

“Now, this lesson may be a bit more different from what we were learning the last time with our baseline chakra control,” he stated as he pulled out the contents from the kit, “in fact, it may seem a bit arbitrary with how far the healing arts have expanded this past century. However, a good medic, in the event that they are no longer able to heal themself or their teammates with medical ninjutsu, should be able to at least suture and close up wounds.”

Mitsuki listened to Kabuto intently and drew his yellow eyes towards the objects in the older man’s hands. In his right was a small needle with a thread, while his left held a small cloth ball with some other metallic tools. 

“Many young Shinobi interested in healing nowadays seem to underestimate the importance of knowing how to suture. Often, medics tend to be overworked on the battlefield and have little time to heal small gaping cuts and would rather focus on larger, life-threatening wounds. While not entirely an unwise choice, leaving these wounds on their own oftentimes can cause infections if left untreated. So for the first portion of our lesson today, I’m going to have you learn how to suture on this practice ‘model’.” 

Kabuto held his hands out to give Mitsuki the tools before standing up to sit next to him. He turned on the small light on the table and began to instruct him on the technique used for suturing.  
…  
After around an hour, Mitsuki placed down the tools and looked over the model, beginning to feel irritated with himself. Scattered around the cloth were long lines filled with interrupted sutures. The young Shinobi sighed before gentle placing the tools down. 

Kabuto, noting his pupil’s obvious disappointment, spoke up from next to him. “Don’t feel too distressed, Mitsuki-kun. Perhaps this lesson came a bit early. Your ability to suture and the like will come the more practice you receive. This went on for longer than I had originally intended, so let’s get these tools cleaned up, and we can start the other portion of the training I had planned for you.”

Mitsuki felt around the table and squinted his eyes to try and find the small needle he placed down a few moments ago. He pushed his head noticeably closer to the surface of the metal, but found that made his vision even more blurry. He began to grow even more frustrated until a hand reached out in front of him, picking up something. 

“I found the needle, Mitsuki-kun, everything should be packed now.” 

The young Shinobi exhaled quietly before rising from the chair. “Sorry lessons didn’t go too well, Kabuto-san.”

The bespectacled man, who was intently focusing on him, brushed off his comment with the wave of his hand. “No, no, Mitsuki-kun, you actually performed better than most for your age. However, I noticed that you seemed to be squinting a large amount while you were practicing. Are you having issues with your vision?”

Mitsuki’s eyes blinked in response. He shook his head. “I don’t believe so, Kabuto-san. I can see you perfectly fine. Maybe I just felt a bit tired today?”

Kabuto nodded his head before putting away the sewing kit and returning with an old medical pamphlet. He opened the paper and handed it to Mitsuki. The wording was extremely small. 

“Just a small test, Mitsuki-kun. Can you read the first sentence of this pamphlet for me?”

The young Shinobi nodded, somewhat hesitantly, before attempting to read the pamphlet. Unable to clearly focus on the words, he brought it closer to his eyes. This, however, made reading the sentence even more impossible and jumbled. 

“‘The...the endemic...endocrine...system has a plentiful? Plethora? Of func-functions'...” 

“Hold it right there,” Kabuto interrupted as he brought the paper away from Mitsuki’s face. Surprisingly, he was able to the words clearly the further away it was from his eyes. “Try it now.”

“‘The endocrine system has a plethora of functions’,”he said with more confidence now that he was able to properly make out the words. 

“So were you able to see more clearly when the pamphlet was a way from your eyes, Mitsuki-kun?” Kabuto asked while placing the paper back on the table. 

“Hai. Much more clearly.” 

“Now, I’m not exactly an optometrist, but judging by what I’ve seen and what you’ve just told me, in all likelihood, you’re most likely far sighted.”

“Eh?”

“Meaning you’re able to see objects from a further distance, but can’t see those closer to you.”

“What should I do about it, Kabuto-san?”

The man gave a slight pout. “I’m not experienced enough in the line of vision to properly give you an eye screening, so I would speak to your parent about having that professionally done. Luckily your eyesight doesn’t seem to be that bad, so it hopefully won’t impede much with you becoming a Shinobi and throwing kunai from long distances, but you might struggle with reading mission scrolls, especially if they’re written in smaller handwriting.” 

Mitsuki thought on what he would be able to do for his eyes, but then remembered that Karin was probably able to give him an eye screening and equip him with a proper set of glasses or contacts. 

“I think I know someone that would be able to examine my eyes.”

“Really? That’s excellent news. Do they practice in Konoha?”

Mitsuki shook his head. “No, they’re back in Otogakure.”

There was a brief lapse of silence before Kabuto responded. “I see. Would you need my assistance in scheduling an appointment? I’m sure your parent is more than capable of doing so, but I am here in case you need it for whatever reason.” He moved towards the desk and shuffled some papers together, organizing them into a neat pile. 

“No, thank you, Kabuto-san. I should be able to work something out,” Mitsuki swallowed and nervously squirmed a bit before continuing, “But…”

Kabuto, who stopped in his organizing and turned his attention back on the young Shinobi, walked towards him slowly. “Hai?”

Mitsuki has been thinking of asking Kabuto ever since he had had his first lesson with the man. He found that he could trust him and respected him greatly, but pangs of guilt would sometimes arise due to the fact that Kabuto didn’t know the truth about his background. 

He wanted the man to know who his family was. Suigetsu, Karin, Jūgo, his brother, and especially his parent. Kabuto was becoming a larger part of Mitsuki’s life and he didn’t want that wasted due to a few secrets (even though his parent and Kabuto were definitely hiding major ones from him).

“I… because you’re my Sensei now, I was wondering if you would like to come to Oto with me to meet my family…” 

The silver haired man’s eyes widened beneath his frames. While he knew that the boy was fond of him, he hadn’t expected him to want Kabuto to meet his family. No parent would respond well in learning that their child was being taught by a war criminal. Although that would entail him returning to Otogakure-possibly reigniting former...feelings...he left behind-he was fond of Mitsuki, as well. If Mitsuki felt it important for Kabuto to meet his family, then he supposed he could make time. 

Before Kabuto could probably answer Mitsuki however, a crash was heard before someone came, shocking both of the occupants of the room. 

“Yes! He would love to go meet your family!” 

Kabuto’s face blanked as he responded to his overly excited brother. “Urushi, what are you doing?”

“Sorry for barging in! I came to tell you that dinner was ready, but I overheard your conversation and got excited.”

Mitsuki’s eyes widened, still shocked from Urushi’s abrupt arrival, and faced the two older men. “It would only be for as long as he’s able. I know you’re busy, Kabuto-san…” 

“Nonsense! Take him for the whole weekend! Hell, take him for the whole week! I’ll pack your bags right now!” He wrapped a friendly arm around Kabuto’s shoulder, ruffling his hair. 

“Urushi, please,” Kabuto sighed before turning to face Mitsuki once more, removing Usuhi’s hand and straightening out his hair. “It would be a pleasure to meet your family, Mitsuki-kun.”

The young Shinobi smiled happily. “Thank you, Kabuto-san.”

“Of course.”

“Sorry for asking, but...how long would you be willing to stay in Oto?” 

“Well, a weekend should be sufficient…” Kabuto trailed off as he saw his brother give him a pleading face from the corner of his eye. He exhaled and shook his head. “...But it has been awhile since I’ve had time to relax for myself, so I may stay for a week.”

Mitsuki’s face lit up. He could show Kabuto around Oto and he could learn more and more from him. There was a touch of nervousness with him meeting his parent, but he brushed it aside. 

Urushi wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulder once more despite the glare he received from Kabuto. “Wonderful, wonderful! And don’t worry, we’ll manage over here. Just have a nice time!” 

Kabuto smiled down at Mitsuki. “I’m sure I will.”

“Great! Now that that’s settled, I’m sure the others are expecting us back for dinner by now. Let’s get going!”  
…  
“What do you mean you’re gonna be gone for a week??” The young Uzumaki yelled.

“Hai. The next week will be relatively important for me, so I’m going to be in Oto.”

“Have you told Konohamaru-sensei, yet?” Sarada questioned. 

“I’ve already told him I’m needed back home. He wasn’t exactly too happy I was going to be missing missions for an entire week, though.”

“Nah, Konohamaru-niichan’ll be fine. But it stinks you’re not gonna be here! It takes a lot of work to catch those lost pets.”

“Sorry. I’ll make up for it when I get back. But you two will be fine, won’t you?” 

Sarada sighed. “You don’t need to worry about it, Mitsuki. You’re obviously gonna spend time with your parent, right?”

“Hai.”

“Then just go an do what you need to. I’m sure we’ll manage while you’re gone.”

“Yeah, don’t worry! If something cool happens, I’ll tell you all about it when you get back! We can all talk over some hamburgers!”

“Boruto, can’t we get something better than hamburgers for once?” Sarada exclaimed. 

“What? What’s wrong with hamburgers, Sarada? They’re the best! Your taste buds are just weird.”

“Oh, my taste buds are ‘weird’? Says the boy who’d gladly go to town on a chocolate cheeseburger if they ever came out.” She gave a pout and stuck out her hip at the blonde boy. 

Boruto rolled his eyes.“Whatever! Fine! We’ll get whatever you want when Mitsuki comes back!”

Mitsuki smiled at his teammates’ banter. “You two still would make a nice couple.” Both paused in their argument and blushed bright red. 

“M-Mitsuki!”

“No way! Not with him!”

The snake Shinobi continued to quietly laugh to himself while both his teammates focused light glares on him. 

“Good luck on your missions while I’m gone.” Both dropped their looks and instead gave Mitsuki a smile.

“Well, have fun with your parent in Oto.”

“And don’t worry too much about us. We’re still strong even if the team isn’t complete, ya know?”

“Hai. Thanks to the both of you.”  
…

They were departing on Saturday. Mitsuki left his apartment, though he hadn’t really been spending much time there in the past couple of weeks, around 7:00 in the morning. The plan was for him and Kabuto to leave at 7:30 to catch their train which was leaving at 8:00. Since there was no direct train line to Oto yet, they had to stop at the nearest village and make the rest of the journey by foot. 

While Mitsuki usually chose to travel by foot to Oto, he wanted the journey to be as relaxing as possible and talk a great deal with Kabuto about what he planned to do upon arrival. It also didn’t help that Urushi had already booked train tickets for them.

When he reached the Orphanage, he was shocked upon seeing Kabuto’s appearance. Rather than wearing the black robes Mitsuki was accustomed to seeing, he chose to wear a loose purple t-shirt and black jacket with loose slacks. Most surprising of all, however, was his lack of snake-like features. His skin was a noticeably darker shade of tan and his eyes were dark grey. The purple markings were no longer visible, and he looked like an entirely new person altogether. 

Had it not been for the man’s silver hair and glasses, he wouldn’t have even thought that this was Kabuto. “...Kabuto-san?”

The man’s dark eyes lit up when he saw Mitsuki. “Ah, Mitsuki-kun. Ready to leave?”

The young snake Shinobi nodded wordlessly and began to walk side by side with the man. However, they stopped when multiple voices called out from behind them. It was Urushi, along with several younger children, and multiple Sharingan siblings waving happily from the windows of the Orphanage. 

“Bye-bye Fathew, have fun!”

“Try to relax, Ok, Kabuto?”

“Bye-bye!”

Kabuto and Mitsuki waved back at them before resuming their walk. Outside of the fence surrounding the Orphanage, Mitsuki realized something in concern. 

“Wait, where are your bags, Kabuto-san?”

The bespectacled man smiled at the young Shinobi’s concern. “I used a sealing jutsu to pack my belongings within a couple of scrolls here,” he gestured to the medium-sized shoulder bag on his side, “No need to be alarmed, Mitsuki-kun. Although it is appreciated.” 

Mitsuki simply nodded, continuing his strides. After a few moments of silence during their relatively peaceful journey, he decided to speak. 

“May I ask you something, Kabuto-san?”

“Is it about my appearance?”

“Hai.”

“Well, for starters this state isn’t permanent. I developed this little technique a few years after the Great Shinobi War ended. Similar to a henge jutsu, it allows me to morph and shape my chakra, thus altering my facial features.” 

Mitsuki focused on the man’s face, fascinated. “Do you use this technique a lot?”

“I typically use this for when potential foster parents want to come visit the Orphanage and see the children. However, the majority of the children and orphanage helpers are more exposed to my regular appearance and this form only lasts for a couple of days at most, so I don’t use it too often.”

“I see.” 

They eventually made their way to a small post where the train would be arriving in around five minutes. As they waited, Mitsuki struck up another topic of conversation. 

“So what do you plan to do when we reach Oto, Kabuto-san?”

Kabuto’s shoulders relaxed a bit. “Urushi, my brother if you haven’t guessed, booked me a hotel room in one of the main districts of Otogakure. I was planning on resting a bit before meeting your parent, if that’s fine with you. I’ve heard Oto is being established as a legitimate village, and I would like to see how it’s progressing thus far.” 

Mitsuki nodded his head in response. His ears perked when he heard the sound of the train coming. Both boarded quietly and sat down on two seats across from each other. Since it was earlier in the morning, the train wasn’t as packed as it usually was. 

“I’m sure you’ll still need to alert your parent upon our arrival. Have you told them I was coming? I’d rather they not faint seeing me,” he joked. 

He felt bad lying to Kabuto, but he actually hadn’t told anyone that he was bringing him to the base. Luckily before he had to answer, the train director addressed the two of them. 

“Tickets?” 

“There you are,” Kabuto stated as he gave both of their tickets to him to get punched out. 

The older man grinned happily at the two of them. “Thank you! Where ya headed to?”

The bespectacled silverette smiled and replied that they were both on their way to visit Otogakure. 

“Oto, eh? Most of the young fellows here are stopping at the location prior to where you’re heading. Something about a music festival this week? ‘M not too sure.”

“I haven’t heard anything about a music festival, but perhaps we’ll go take a look when we return?”

“Eh, just an idea. Thought you might be taking your kid there is all,” he smiled down at Mitsuki before tipping his hat to them, “Well, I’ve gotta keep going. Tickets to punch out and the like. Nice talking to ya!”

“Nice speaking to you, as well.”

Mitsuki looked back at Kabuto. “He seemed friendly.”

“Hai, very much so. Did you catch onto it?”

The young Shinobi tilted his head. Catch onto what?

“What?”

“He thought I was your father,” Kabuto replied simply. Mitsuki’s eyes widened in surprise when he realized what the man had said. 

“Did he? Maybe I should have clarified it…”

The bespectacled man waved his hand. “Don’t concern yourself over it. You do look a bit like me, in a way. I’m surprised no one has said anything yet, if I’m being perfectly honest.”

“Well one of the Sharingan siblings-Rento?- mentioned how we looked a bit similar on the day Kaito sprained his wrist.” 

“Did he now?”

Their idle small talk continued for the rest of the trip. They were one of the last passengers on board. After getting off the train, they had a small walk to get to Oto, and reached the village around 11:00. The district was bustling with people from every walk of life. True to its name, there was a great deal of noise in the village, largely because there was construction at almost every street corner. 

Mitsuki felt another pang of worry over his parent and Kabuto meeting upon seeing a small group of Shinobi from Konoha surveying the area. What if this would impede Kabuto’s desire to teach him? What if his parent became upset with Mitsuki not alerting him that Kabuto was coming? What if-

His thoughts were broken by a warm hand comfortably patting his head. He looked up to find Kabuto smiling at him. In that moment, all of his worries were erased, instead replaced by a strange feeling of longing. 

What was it that man on the train had said to Kabuto? _“Thought you might be taking your kid there is all…”_

Your kid. _His child_. The thought oddly touched Mitsuki’s heart. 

Of course he knew he was created artificially by his parent, of which he shared the DNA. But what if...in someway he _was_ related to Kabuto? 

He knew it was impossible, but a child could dream, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to update at least once a month- I have drafts of the next couple of chapters written, so expect an update in February! Thanks to all that kudos/review, it always makes me so very happy to see!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I’m back! Sorry, I meant to update sooner but I’m pretty busy this month because of schoolwork. Hopefully I’ll be back on track once this month is over :)

“My, how much Otogakure has changed in such a short span of time,” Kabuto mused as he walked through the busy streets of the village. Perky street vendors cajoled the two to buy products and had to yell extra loudly over the sounds of the nearby construction. It was a vast change from the Oto Kabuto remembered. 

“Herbs and spices! Come buy our specialty Otogakure spices!”

“Fresh green onion! Grown straight from Konoha! Green onion!” 

Mitsuki looked forward, glancing past the vendors, until his eyes focused on a small cafe. He stopped in his tracks, inhaling a few times the mouth watering aroma emanating from the inconspicuous building. 

“Something wrong?” Kabuto stared down at Mitsuki, a concerned expression on his face. 

An older couple sat down on the table nearest to the window and yellow eyes were drawn to the plate of fluffy eggs on the man’s plate. 

The bespectacled man, realizing the reason for the pause in their walk, smiled at the young Shinobi. He had a hunch Mitsuki wouldn’t want to openly ask to eat breakfast, so he made his way towards the building. 

Mitsuki looked a bit confused when he saw the older man begin to walk away. “Kabuto-san?” 

Kabuto turned and gave him a grin. “Let’s go eat. I imagine you must be hungry.” Before Mitsuki could get a word in edgewise, the man already disappeared into the cafe. The young Shinobi promptly followed him inside. The door chimed as he entered the cozy building.

Small oak tables and dark purple booths littered the cafe. The fresh aroma of breakfast food was even more prominent, causing Mitsuki to take another whiff before observing the cafe’s decor. There were watercolor paintings of landscapes strewn around the walls, as well as some old scrolls filled with Japanese proverbs. He continued to survey his surroundings and saw Kabuto sitting at a booth close to the window. The man smiled as Mitsuki took a seat across from him. 

“Thank you, Kabuto-san.”

“Don’t thank me just yet, Mitsuki-kun. You haven’t even ordered anything.”

A young waitress approached their table and placed two menus on the wood surface. She opened her notepad and addressed the two with a perky grin. 

“Can I start you two with something to drink?”

Mitsuki requested a glass of water, while Kabuto asked for coffee. 

“Anything on that?”

“No, black should be fine. Thank you.” 

“Alrighty then! Your drink’s should be out in a few minutes, and I’ll be back to get your orders!”

They both thanked her before opening up their menus. Mitsuki squinted a bit, struggling to see, but brought the menu further away from his face. Kabuto observed his student quietly. 

“I should hope you’re able to get that vision screening soon.”

“Hai, I was planning on asking my... _aunt_ … to give me one later.”

Kabuto hummed in acknowledgment before asking Mitsuki what he would like to order. 

“I had a feeling you were going to order a platter of eggs, but there seems to be a multitude of ways to have it prepared. This cafe’s specialty is eggs, from what I’ve observed.”

Yellow eyes skimmed through the list of eggs and became unable to choose how he wanted them. He preferred scrambled eggs, but even there were various seasoning and ingredients in each type. He became unsure. 

The waitress came back with their drinks and handed it to them. 

“One water,” she said as she handed the glass to Mitsuki, “and one black coffee!” She placed an empty mug by Kabuto along with a small pot of hot coffee. 

“Thank you.”

“Are you folks ready to order?”

Kabuto peered at Mitsuki from the corner of his eye and saw he was still looking through the long menu. 

“Just a few more minutes and we should be ready.”

“Alright! Just let me know when you’re good to order!” 

Kabuto turned his attention back on the young Shinobi. He poured some coffee into his mug before blowing on it and taking a sip. 

“Unsure?”

“Hai. There appears to be many good options here.”

“Would you want me to ask for a chef’s recommendation or choose for you?”

Mitsuki shook his head. “No, I just need a little more time. Thank you.”

“Alright,” Kabuto stated as he got up from his seat. “I’m going to use the bathroom and wash my hands.”

The young Shinobi nodded at him before turning his attention back on the menu. Decisions, decisions.  
He became so focused on deciding on what to order that he hadn’t even noticed the sound of the door chiming as a familiar figure entered the cafe and called out to him. 

“Oi, Mitsuki!”

Mitsuki’s head turned towards the voice and his eyes widened in shock.

“Suigetsu? What are you doing here?”

“I was just gonna ask you the same thing! We were looking for you! What happened to checking in at the hideout at around 8? Did something happen on your way here?”

Shock crossed the young Shinobi’s features. It was Saturday! _How could he forget that today was usually when he returned to Oto to give his report?_ He mentally kicked himself once again. What was he going to say? Kabuto was going to return at any moment! 

In a hurried tone, he responded. “I...I forgot. I wanted to look around a bit and found myself at this cafe to rest. We can leave right now.” He quickly rose from his chair, a pang of guilt blooming in his chest as he glanced at the spot before him.

“Woah, what’s going on with you today? Why are you being so secretive? Plus it’s not like you to forget your visit,” Suigetsu stated, concerned. He glanced at the other side of the table and noticed the coffee mug and pot. 

“Hold on, since when do you drink _coffee??”_ Purple eyes scanned the apparently offensive drink, widening upon finding that nothing was added to it. 

“You take it _black??”_

“Ah, that would be mine,” a voice interjected. 

Both Mitsuki and Suigetsu’s heads turned to see Kabuto standing before them. His lips formed a tight smile, but his emotions were otherwise unreadable.

“Kabuto?”

“Hello, Suigetsu.”

“Don’t ‘Hello, Suigetsu’ me! What the hell are you doing back? And why do you look…?” The swordsman looked so confused it was almost comical. 

Kabuto dropped his smile and sighed before pinching the bridge of his nose. In a hushed tone he responded. “I wasn’t aware I was unwelcome here.”

“Wha-no! That’s not what I meant! Jeez, I just wanted to know the reason you came to visit!” His voice dropped to a whisper as he noted the strange glances from the other customers in the cafe. “None of us thought that you’d want to come back here after you became an orphanage director.”

Kabuto saw Mitsuki’s concerned facial expression and the glances from the other store patrons and decided this wouldn’t be the best time to make a scene. Refocusing on Suigetsu, he spoke in a calm voice.

“I’d rather we not cause a scene. How about you sit and eat with us? We haven’t ordered yet.”

Suigetsu turned back to look at Mitsuki, quirking an eyebrow. The young Shinobi gave him a pleading look and the swordsman eventually sighed and sat down next to him. Kabuto silently gestured to the other cafe patrons that all was well before reclaiming his seat across from them. 

Kabuto took a bigger sip of his coffee now that it had cooled a bit. He didn’t look distressed in the slightest, as opposed to Suigetsu across from him, who appeared to be anything except calm.

The bespectacled man adjusted his glasses before turning to Mitsuki and politely asking if he had decided on what to order. The young Shinobi looked surprised but proceeded to shake his head that he hadn’t. His eyes skimmed the pages quickly, unsure.

“Do you frequent this cafe, Suigetsu?”

The swordsman looked up when his name was called. He expected many things to happen if he ever saw Kabuto in Oto once more, but he certainly never pictured eating breakfast with him.  
“Eh?”

“I asked if you frequent this cafe often.”

“Uh, I usually just come here to pick up orders…” he shook his head to gain a semblance of calm. “But when I do come here, I just get the yogurt parfait from the dessert section. I guess I do come here a lot, though.” 

“Would you recommend any of the breakfast platters?”

“Huh?” 

Kabuto made a slight gesture towards Mitsuki, who flipped through the menu for the third time. Suigetsu glanced at the young Shinobi from the corner of his eye and had a moment of realization. He looked back towards Kabuto and gave the man a thumbs up and grin, to which he responded with a relaxed smile and head nod. 

“There’s a really good platter you should try, Mitsuki.”

Mitsuki released exhaled in relief. “Really? I’ll just try that, then,” he responded all too quickly. 

Right on cue, the perky waitress returned. “Oh! Suigetsu! You here to pick up an order?”

“Nah, just having breakfast with some...acquaintances?” He shrugged his shoulder cooly.

“I’ll take it you’ll have the parfait, then?”

“You got it. And this little guy,” Suigetsu added with a ruffle to Mitsuki’s head, “is gonna have the #13.” 

“Oh? The _secret menu_ , huh? Well, we’ll make sure to prepare it extra special for you, kiddo! And for you, Sir?” She asked, turning to Kabuto. 

“I’ll have the small fish platter.” He removed his hand from where it rested underneath his chin to close and return the menu. “Thank you.”

“Uh-huh! So one small fish platter, one #13, and one yogurt parfait,” she stopped to scribble down their orders in her notepad, “Anything else?”

“Oh, and can you get me a glass of water?” Suigetsu added, handing her Mitsuki’s menu. 

“Sure thing! And your meals will be out in around 10 minutes.”

The three thanked her before addressing the elephant in the room. 

“So why _are_ you here, Kabuto? And how do you and Mitsuki know each other?” 

The man adjusted his glasses. “Well, for one thing, my brother deemed it necessary I take a break from the continuous work in the Orphanage. As for the other,” Kabuto glanced fondly at Mitsuki, “I have currently been teaching Mitsuki-kun medical ninjutsu in the past couple of weeks. He asked me himself to come to Otogakure and meet his family.”

Suigetsu looked at the young Shinobi, shocked. “Really??”

Mitsuki looked up at his uncle, almost abashed. “Hai… I wanted Kabuto-san to come meet my family.” The way he phrased his response hinted to Suigetsu that he hadn’t told Kabuto about who his family was, yet. 

“That’s fine I guess, but I didn’t have any idea you were interested in healing!”

“He’s an excellent student and a fast learner. With time, I’m sure his abilities will rival, maybe even surpass, my own,” Kabuto interjected. 

The young Shinobi jerked his head up and a wide smile gradually decorated his face. “Do you really think so, Kabuto-san?”

The silverette smiled proudly at the boy. “Of course. I wouldn’t have said it had I not thought so, Mitsuki-kun.”

Suigetsu noted the admiration in his nephew’s eyes. Seems he got attached to four eyes here. 

_“Must run in the family.”_

Kabuto actually looked happy too, oddly enough. It was weird considering Suigetsu had always thought the man had a permanent stick up his ass in the years he’d known him.

“One more thing, Kabuto.”

“Hai?”

“Why do you look so…” 

Kabuto sighed before taking a sip of his coffee. “‘Normal’?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“I created a small jutsu right before I started working at the Orphanage. I can modify my appearance without the use of a henge. However, this will only last a couple of days at most.”

Suigetsu leaned over the table to whisper to Kabuto. “Does Mitsuki know?”

The bespectacled man spoke calmly at a regular voice level. “Hai, he does. In fact, my regular appearance was how he first saw me. I’ve come to terms with it, Suigetsu. I’d simply rather not have people too terrified to ask me if I wanted to order something.” 

Suigetsu sat back down, crossing his arms and nodding his head. “Alright, alright. Just thought I’d ask.”

“I believe I also have the right to inquire how you two know each other.” 

Mitsuki continued to look at Kabuto but his hand snaked underneath the table to squeeze Suigetsu’s wrist. Now Suigetsu may not be a _genius_ , but he was smart enough to understand what that meant. 

He didn’t want Kabuto to know he was related to Orochimaru-sama. Sighing, the swordsman gave his answer. 

“Well, he has an older brother, as you might know, and we became good friends, so I know his family pretty well.” That seemed reasonable. He wasn’t necessarily best friends with Log, but the excuse sounded legitimate.

Kabuto tilted his head in suspicion, his face unchanging. Light gleamed off of his glasses and dark eyes seemed to be peering through him. Suigetsu shivered. He forgot how creepy Kabuto could be when he wanted. 

Before the man could question Suigetsu’s back story, however, the waitress returned with their food. 

“Here’re your meals! One small fish platter, one yogurt parfait and water, and one #13!” 

They thanked her before eating the meal before them. It smelled so good. 

“Thank you for the food.” 

Mitsuki examined his scrambled egg platter. There didn’t appear to be anything wrong with it. In fact, there didn’t appear to be any additional vegetables or toppings. Just plain eggs. He picked up his chopsticks and ate off a small piece with some rice. It was delicious. _Almost_ as good as the eggs Kabuto had prepared for him. He ate a bit quicker, enjoying the warm food. 

“Like it?” Suigetsu asked with a grin.

“Hai, it’s very good.”

“Thought you’d like them. Their plain scrambled eggs, but the stuff’s amazing!”

“Do you know what’s in them?” 

“Hmm. Not sure. It’s plain scrambled eggs, but they just put something in them that makes them so much more better than what’s on their regular menu.” 

Mitsuki nodded his head as he faced the white-haired man next to him. From the corner of his eye, however, he saw Kabuto glancing down at his own food, as if lost in thought. His face held a neutral expression, but he was tapping the fingers of his free hand rather fast. 

_“He seems anxious.”_

Almost hesitantly, Mitsuki called the bespectacled man. “...Kabuto-san?” The man’s eyes moved from his platter to look at his apprentice in the eyes. He seemed dazed for a millisecond but quickly relaxed his features. 

“Are you alright?”

The man nodded his head in assurance “Yes, I’m quite alright. Just thinking something over. No need to be alarmed.” Mitsuki continued to stare at his Sensei for a few more moments before returning to his meal. The rest of their breakfast continued with light small talk and jokes from Suigetsu, yet Kabuto still seemed to be a bit nervous.

After another 10 minutes, Kabuto glanced at their platters and observed that everyone was finished with their meal. 

“Well, I think it best we leave for now. I still have to check into my hotel room, after all.” He asked for the check from the waitress. Mitsuki reached behind him to retrieve money from his side pack before Kabuto stopped him. 

“If you’re reaching for your wallet, there’s no need, Mitsuki-kun. I should have enough to pay for all of us, as well as enough to tip that nice waitress.”

“Are you sure, Kabuto-san?”

“Yeah, Kabuto, I’ve got some cash. Plus I can just ask Yui to put it on my tab.”

“It’s quite alright, I assure you.”

“Well, gee, thanks Kabuto!”

“Hai. Thank you, Kabuto-san.”

“You’re welcome.”

The man paid for their meal and walked outside, Suigetsu and Mitsuki in tow. 

“Well, I think it best I head to my hotel. It should be a couple of blocks away from here. From what I heard earlier, I feel you should check in with your parent, Mitsuki-kun. You wouldn’t want to worry them, would you?” 

Mitsuki stared down at his feet, unwilling to part with the man. He felt a warm hand pat his head and he looked up to find Kabuto smiling at him. The young Shinobi slowly returned the smile. 

“...Ok.” 

The Orphanage director turned towards Suigetsu. “I trust you’ll be able to see him home?”

“Yeah, Yeah, I got it.” Suigetsu gave the man a reassuring grin and ruffled Mitsuki's hair affectionately. Kabuto seemed to accept the ma's gesture and returned a smaller smile to the water Nin. 

There was a long moment of silence after that, with the only noise coming from the construction and the chatter of the villagers in the background, before Kabuto spoke again. His eyes looked faraway and he rubbed his hands together unconsciously. An outsider unaccustomed to the man's mannerisms might have thought nothing was wrong, but it was obvious to Mitsuki that he had a lot weighing on his mind. 

In almost a hush whisper, Kabuto spoke, “...How is Orochimaru-sama?”

Suigetsu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Uh...well, for the most part…” How in Kami’s name would he respond to _that?_

“...He’s, uh, doing pretty well. Y’know, running Oto and stuff. Other than the fact that he’s under house arrest, he’s...alright.”

“...That’s good to hear.”

“Uh, you know, you could always just go visit him. I’m sure he’d want to see you, Kabuto.” The man shook his head. 

“No. I think it best I not see him, for now. In fact, as compensation for your food, I ask that you not tell him I’m here.” Mitsuki’s felt nervousness bloom in his chest. Kabuto didn’t want to see his parent, but that was the entire reason he decided to journey here. 

“W-why?” Suigetsu asked.

“There are...certain things... I rather not resurface. I’m sure he’s doing well without me, and the same goes for me, likewise. In all honesty, it would simply be for the best. Can you promise you won’t tell him, Suigetsu?”

The swordsman cleared his throat and exhaled. “Alright. I promise.”

“Thank you. And Mitsuki?” The young Shinobi turned his head to face Kabuto. The bespectacled man smiled at him like always, but this time guilt sparked throughout his body. 

“If you’d like to meet in the front of this cafe around 6:00, I’d be more than happy to meet your parent.” Mitsuki gave a tremulous smile and agreed, watching the man he had come to respect and admire wave to them before walking away.

He faced Suigetsu once more and they walked towards his parent’s hideout, not saying a word.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaack! School's been super busy lately, so sorry for the delay.

“So what’s your plan then, Mitsuki?”

The young Shinobi stared straight ahead and gave a defeated shrug of his shoulders. His posture was slouched and one could obviously tell he was upset. 

Suigetsu sighed and placed his hands behind his head. “You know, I could’ve helped you out more if you’d have just told me or the others about Kabuto visiting.”

In a hushed tone, Mitsuki responded. “Sorry.” Suigetsu stared at the young Shinobi. He must have really gotten attached to Kabuto if he was this upset about something. Mitsuki was usually such a level headed kid, and not prone to showing stronger emotions. 

“Tch, well as it stands, I can’t tell Orochimaru-sama about him, but _he_ has no clue who your parent is…” Suigetsu hummed under his breath trying to devise a plan to help his nephew. 

“I got it! Why don’t I just henge into someone that could look like your parent!”

Mitsuki shook his head. “That might work, but Kabuto-san is _very_ observant. I don’t think he’d fall for a trick like that.”

“Yeah, he’s a tough one to fool. Always has been. Hmmm...what if you just keep canceling him meeting your parent and just spend a lot of time with him instead? Maybe he’ll forget?”

The young Shinobi’s eyes widened as he thought of an idea. 

“That might work. I could just tell Kabuto-san my parent got called last minute and can’t meet.”

The water nin placed a friendly arm around the younger Shinobi's shoulder, shaking him slightly. “There we go! See, it’s always good to listen to Uncle Suigetsu.”

Mitsuki nodded his head in thought, going over the small details he would have to correct in order for the plan to work. “Although, he may get suspicious on my arriving late and leaving in the evening. Would you be able to distract him?”

Suigetsu’s eyes widened. “Wha-No way! Sorry, Mitsuki, you know as well as I do that I’m not good at acting. If I tried to distract Orochimaru-sama, he’d just get more suspicious!”

“What if you, Karin, and Jūgo distracted my parent? You promised you wouldn’t tell my parent about Kabuto, but not anyone else.”

Suigetsu rubbed his head in thought. “You know, that might just work. Look at you, you sneaky devil. Maybe you’re spending too much time with Kabuto, huh?”

That earned him a smile. Mitsuki was starting to act like himself again. They just needed this to go perfectly and all would be well. 

“We’d better pick up the pace, or he's gonna have a fit.”

“Hai. Good idea. And Suigetsu?”

Purple eyes glanced into yellow with a questioning look. 

“Thank you.”

Giving the young Shinobi a toothy grin and head ruffle, he responded. 

“No problem, kid.”  
…  
“You’re late. _Again_ , I might add.”

Judging from his parent’s crossed arms and narrowed serpentine eyes, he was not pleased in the slightest. Mitsuki kept his head bowed so as to not anger his parent more.

“And where have _you_ been, Suigetsu?”

The man physically jumped in fear when his name was addressed, but hadn’t said anything else.

In a low, vexed tone of voice, he ordered Suigetsu out of the room. 

“H-hai, Orochimaru-sama.” He gave Mitsuki a sympathetic glance as he left. 

It was just him and his parent now, and the atmosphere was heavy. Neither had said anything, and the only noise heard was the vent and buzzing of the lights. Mitsuki raised his head upon hearing his parent slowly approach him. 

“I am not pleased with your recent behavior. I simply let your past tardiness slide, but this time you were late almost five hours- with no clue or note as to why. I expect a full explanation on your whereabouts and activities before this, and don’t think you can blame it on a head injury.”

Mitsuki swallowed. He had never seen his parent this infuriated before. His chakra seeped out, making the young Shinobi quiver slightly in fear. 

“Well?” A dark eyebrow lifted in expectation. His lips were sealed tightly. It made him uneasy. 

Shaking his head, Mitsuki responded. “I journeyed here via train, elongating my travel time with all of the stops.”

“Oh? And why did you find it necessary to take the train?” It seemed Mitsuki’s answer was only infuriating his parent more. 

“I...I was just interested in taking a different route today.”

“Regardless of taking a different route, riding the train would have delayed your journey an hour at most. That isn’t the full reason.” The serpentine pupils narrowed into slits.

Mitsuki swallowed in nervousness. “I stopped by a music festival on the way here. Hungry, I stopped to eat at a small cafe and that’s where Suigetsu found me.”

His parent dropped his furious glare and smiled down at his child. Except this was even more frightening. Rather than giving a warm smile, it was ice cold. 

“A music festival, ne? Interesting, considering that’s where your brother spent the majority of his morning. You think he would have seen you at one point, yes?” He lifted his child’s head to look him in the eyes. 

_“What was the real reason, Mitsuki?”_

What would he say? He couldn’t mention he was with Kabuto. Or rather, he _wouldn’t_. Any lie his parent would see right through. So he responded with the only thing he could without compromising himself too much. 

He lowered his head and said nothing. 

His parent gave a dark chuckle. “Not saying anything? No matter, I’ve already decided a suitable punishment for you.” Mitsuki looked up. 

“You are forbidden from leaving the lair for as long as I deem necessary. As of this moment, consider yourself grounded.”

“But…” Mitsuki quickly closed his mouth when his parent shot him a glare. 

“Hai.”

His parent relaxed his tense shoulders, though he was still noticeably angry. Turning around, he spoke. “I expect you in the training area in 10 minutes. If you are late by even a fraction, I will worsen your punishment. Understand?”

Mitsuki shook his head and watched as his parent left the room. How would he meet with Kabuto, now? He was grounded. 

Shaking his head, he made his way towards the training ground, expecting the worst.  
…  
Training was absolutely brutal. His parent fought him almost using his full power. Mitsuki used sage mode, but even that wasn’t enough! This experience had been humbling, and it instilled a newfound fear and respect towards his parent. 

Mitsuki breathed heavily as he slumped on the ground. Raising a hand away from his face, he focused healing chakra into the area and began to some of his larger wounds. His parent stood over him, observing him, unscathed in the slightest. 

“I see you're skills with medical ninjutsu have improved.” The snake man had calmed for the most part, but there was still tension in the atmosphere. There would be no negotiating Mitsuki’s punishment. 

“H-hai.” He continued to to heal himself, but it wasn’t doing much. Mitsuki was still a beginner after all. 

“It seems your healing capabilities are still amateur, however.” His parent crouched down to the floor and heaved Mitsuki up, carrying him to the infirmary. 

Nothing was said as Orochimaru laid his child down on the medical bench. He poured disinfectant onto Mitsuki’s wounds, causing him to hiss in pain. 

“You’ve progressed in the amount of time you are able to use your sage abilities,” his parent said, somewhat proudly. 

“Hai.”

“I believe you continuing to learn medical ninjutsu will assist in your sage mode progression and allow you to use that form for more extensive periods of time.”

Mitsuki shook his head, not saying anything. He had a defeated look upon his face as he checked the clock. 5:13. He was supposed to meet with Kabuto at 6:00. 

Orochimaru noted his child’s posture and laid a hand on Mitsuki’s shoulder. “You did good today.” His eyes softened ever so slightly. 

Mitsuki looked up in surprise. He wasn’t expecting to hear appraisal from his parent after how angry he had been at him. 

“Th-thank you.” 

Orochimaru nodded. “Wash and rest up when you’re well enough to leave the infirmary. I sent Suigetsu, Jūgo, and Karin out to go fetch something, so it’s just us in the lair. Your brother will be arriving home shortly.” 

“Hai.” Mitsuki saw his parent leave the infirmary before laying down on the medical bench and sighing tiredly. There went Mitsuki’s entire plan. No one would be home to distract his parent and he wasn’t allowed to leave lest he face his parent’s wrath. 

One thing was certain: he _was_ going to leave tonight and meet Kabuto just as planned. He just had to find a way to. 

What was he to do?  
…  
Orochimaru heard the sound of the lab door opening and turned around to find his eldest son walking towards him. 

“How was it?”

“Fine.”

The snake man smirked. Looks like lucrativeness ran in the family. “Nothing else?”

Log rubbed the side of his head and sighed. “There were many people, so I wasn’t able to do much.”

“I see.”

Log looked around lazily. “Where’s Mitsuki?”

Turning back to his work, Orochimaru spoke. “I grounded him.” He shrugged his shoulder. 

“Oh? Why is that?” 

“You know he’s been quite secretive these days. He was late 5 hours today. I didn’t ground your brother because he was late, more so that he refused to tell me the reason.”

“Ah. I see.”

Orochimaru turned around holding graph schematics in his hands. He sighed heavily. “I worry about him sometimes. He’s only able to visit the weekends, but now I see him less and less. I pondered if puberty was the cause, but that seems unlikely.” He organized the papers into a metal drawer. He glanced at the clock. 5:45. 

“It’s going to be a quiet evening tonight. Go fetch your brother, would you? Meet me in the lounging area. I’d like to hear how both of my children are doing.”

“Got it.” Log slowly exited to lab towards his brother’s quarters. He knocked on his door three times. 

“Oi, Mitsuki. He wants to speak with the both of us.” Log laid back on the wall and lighted a cigarette. He took a deep inhale of the calming nicotine. After a few moments, he tried knocking on his younger brother’s door once more.

“Mitsuki?” A couple minutes later, his brother came out. He held a smile on his face. It was a bit eerie.

“Well, you look awfully happy for someone who’s grounded,” Log noted simply. 

“Sorry, I was resting and had a pleasant dream.”

_Dream? Since when does he dream? Whatever, I guess it's not really my problem._ Log nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

“Alright, then. He wants to see us, and I think he’s in a sentimental mood tonight.”

“Ok,” Mitsuki responded. He was still smiling. It was kind of creepy. 

Silently, the two siblings made their way to the living room where their parent was relaxed on the couch. 

“Ah, there you are. Sit, I’d like to hear how you’re both doing.”

Log took a seat on the purple couch, but left a space for Mitsuki in the middle. He reclined back, closing his eyes for a few moments. Opening one, he saw that Mitsuki was still smiling. What was going on with his younger brother?

He moved his head forward and saw his parent narrow his eyes at Mitsuki. Wordlessly he struck him hard in his chest. 

“Woah, what are you _doing?_ ” Log asked in shock. He knew his parent was most likely angered from earlier, but not to that extent. 

Mitsuki’s eyes widened in shock before he disappeared in a poof of smoke. 

“A shadow clone?” Log asked before turning back towards his parent. He jumped as he took in his appearance. He was seething. Breathing heavily, Orochimaru straightened his posture and faced towards his elder son. 

“Come. We are going to find out what your brother is doing, one way or another.” Log nodded his head quickly and followed his parent out of the living room. 

Upon exiting the hideout, they were approached by Yamato and three other Leaf Shinobi. 

“And just where do you think _you’re_ going, Orochimaru?”

His parent smiled coldly and responded in a calm, but venomous tone. “Yamato. You wouldn’t have happened to see Mitsuki, by chance?”

The captain narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “No, I haven’t seen him come in since this afternoon. You don’t honestly think I’d let you walk freely to search for him. If you’re planning to go into the village, we’ll accompany you.”

Orochimaru waved off Yamato’s words, walking agitatedly past him and his subordinates. His son must have taken the secret exit leading to the woods underneath his hideout, then. 

“Do what you wish.”

Log, along with Captain Yamato and his subordinates following at a distance, trailed after Orochimaru, noting the obvious fury emanating from the man. 

One certain thing resounded in the snake man’s mind:

_“I’m going to find that child, and when I do, he’ll wish I hadn’t.”_  
…  
“Ah, there you are, Mitsuki-kun. I was wondering whether you were going to come or not.” The bespectacled man smiled at the young Shinobi as per usual, but grew concerned when he took in his disheveled appearance and heavy breathing. 

Kabuto guided Mitsuki to a nearby bench in front of the cafe and examined him. “What’s the matter? You look exhausted. Are you feeling alright?”

Mitsuki nodded his head but continued to breath heavily. Kabuto rose quickly from the bench. 

“One moment.” He rushed into the cafe and returned with a large glass of water. He sat back on the bench and urged the young Shinobi to drink. 

Mitsuki nodded appreciatively and drank the water. After he finished and his heart calmed a bit, he faced Kabuto.

“Sorry, but my parent got called out of town and won’t be able to meet you, Kabuto-san,” he said, rather calmly. 

Kabuto stared at his student with wide eyes. “Wh-What? That can’t be the only reason why you looked as if you were about to faint from asphyxiation! Mitsuki, what’s going on with you?”

“I left my home a bit late and rushed to come here.”

Kabuto tilted his head in doubt. “You could have come a bit late. I would have still been here, Mitsuki-kun.”

Mitsuki gave an apologetic smile before glancing nervously around him. He was sure his parent would have found out by now. 

“Sorry, Kabuto-san, but would we be able to talk as we walk?” 

Kabuto placed the back of his hand against Mitsuki’s forehead, checking his temperature. “Well, if you’re able to, then I don’t have an issue with it. That’s if you’re able.” 

“Hai, I should be fine. I just rushed here a bit too quickly is all.” Mitsuki got up and straightened out his clothes. Kabuto rose as well, picking out stray leaves and sticks from his student’s hair. 

As they ventured across the village, the evening lights were starting to turn on. Construction workers were beginning to head home along with street venders, creating a more quiet and serene evening. 

“Now, you said your parent wouldn’t be able to meet with me?” 

“H-hai.”

Kabuto turned his head and narrowed his eyes slightly at Mitsuki. He was great at reading faces and body language. The boy was obviously lying to him.

Feeling a bit guilty, Kabuto feigned a hurt expression.“You needn’t lie to me, Mitsuki-kun. If your parent doesn’t wish to see me, then I won’t feel too bad.”

Mitsuki took the bait immediately. “N-no, it’s not that.”

“Ah, so they’re not out of town then, are they?”

Realization that he was fooled dawned on the young Shinobi and he looked down, embarrassed. 

Kabuto dropped his act and grinned at Mitsuki. “It’s alright, Mitsuki-kun. I’ll still teach you even if I don’t end up meeting them.” He held a finger in front of his lips as if sharing a secret. 

Mitsuki looked up and returned the grin, the feeling of dread in his chest vanishing if only for a moment. They continued upon their walk through the streets of Oto and shops were turning on their lights outside. Happening upon a particular store, Kabuto stopped. 

Mitsuki looked up at the man questioningly. 

“I’d like to look at this store, if you don’t mind, Mitsuki-kun.” 

The young Shinobi peered inside and saw that it was a small antique store. He gave Kabuto a nod. 

“You can stay out here if you wish. I won’t be long.” While Mitsuki would have wanted to see the shop-surprisingly enough, he didn’t go into Oto too much despite being created here-he wanted to keep an eye out in the event someone came after him. 

“Ok, I think I’ll just wait for you outside, Kabuto-san.”

He saw the man enter the shop and decided to wait on the wood bench across parallel to the store’s entrance. He kept his head low, trying to act inconspicuous while simultaneously observing his surroundings. 

There didn’t seem to be anything too out of the ordinary. The shop was located in a relatively quiet corner of the street. Not too many villagers were out, most likely relaxing at home with their families. 

It was ironic. There was the majority enjoying the comfort of their homes and loved ones, while there he was being chased down by them. 

He peered into the store. While his vision of close left something to be desired, he had great vision from a distance. He saw Kabuto looking through a few shelves before disappearing further into the shop. The man held a relaxed expression on his face and that left Mitsuki with some semblance of comfort. Seems he spoke too soon, however. 

A voice whispered from behind him, causing the young Shinobi to jump in shock. 

“Ah, so this is what you felt was so important as to ignore your parent’s orders?”

He rose quickly from his seat to face his fuming parent. Chakra swirled around him, and the street light above where they stood accentuated his narrowed golden eyes and purple markings. His parent looked downright mortifying.

_“You are going to come home this instant,”_ his frown worsened even more, “I felt grounding you was a simple and relatively light punishment, but you’ve tested my patience far too much with this act of defiance.” Orochimaru turned around to speak to his older brother. 

“We’re leaving.” He faced the young Shinobi once more. “Mitsuki, come.”

Mitsuki stood rooted in his spot, glancing at the store from the corner of his eye. If he vanished without a trace, Kabuto would most likely be alarmed and search after him. But if he stayed, he would most likely receive a serious injury considering his parent’s volatility. 

Acquiescing, Mitsuki slowly followed his parent, not saying a word. As the three made their way back towards the hideout, he heard a familiar voice call his name. 

“Mitsuki! Where are you going?”

The young Shinobi almost couldn’t see the speed at which his parent turned around. 

_“Kabuto?”_

The bespectacled man’s eyes widened greatly behind his frames and he rose a shaky hand to adjust them. 

_“...Orochimaru-sama?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all of those who have read and reviewed my work. Sorry I never respond to the comments, I don't really have the energy to respond to all of them. I promise, I read every individual one and they all make me extremely happy.


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